The record-union., 1897-07-29
new YEAR FEASTS.
THREE STRANGE SORTS OF
HOLIDAY FEsTIvITY.
Little Boys Fattened and Brutaily
Butchered to Appease the
Suns Enemies.

A New Years feast of plump little
Aztec boys! Fond mothers, hug your
precious darlings to your hearts anu
be happy in the thought that you ana
yours formed no part of that interest,"
ing but sanguinary ancient Aztec CIV
lization.
New Years Day among the Aztecs'
who densely populated portions OF Mex
leo and Central America centuries anu
centuries ago, was celebrated as d
great feast and gala occasion, put the
festivities We're preceded by such mon
strous and horrible atrocities, supposed
to propitiate a certain deity with
shocking thirst for blood, that the
hearing strikes a chill to the marrow
of the listener.
Before relating the story of this GU
rious celebration it is necessary to ex-
plain that every people on the face or
the earth who reckon time at all in
some manner greet the coming of the
new year We of the older civilizations
have so shuff1ed and jostled our calen-
dar about that the occurrence of New
Years now on the first day of Janu-
aI.y has lost It's original significance
and association with natural causes,
and we attribute its position TO comph
Gated religious relationship. Among
very primitive peoples, however, the
year is marked off in seasons, perhaps,
two, winter and summer; then again
into four, the planting, the growing,
the harvesting and the season of rest,
or it even may be by moons and suns,
l,t1f Ia+ r n H. -
is based on those marked physical
changes which appeal to the senses, as
light and darkness, heat and cold, the
lengthening or shortening of the day,
the casting off of the tree foliage or
the mysterious bursting of the buds
in beautiful spring, and from these
changes the savage mind finds some
point on the ever travelling cycle where
he may happily or otherwise begin his
New Year.
Think how deeply must the curious
and subtle shortening of the days as
fall comes on apace affect the imagina-
ton of the untutored mind The sun.
their all powerful deity who gives them
warmth and growth of life wanes and
grows sluggish and sick, and each day
creeps with greater reluctance from his
resting place behind yonder blue noun
tain range until the daylight becomes
so short that the terror-stricken primi-
tive hearts pray and plead and invoke
the malign and baneful gods to remove
their perniciOus influence from their
dearly beloved Sun-God. Nay! they
even fight for him, and great is the Joy
and feasting on the first day. the New
Year, when he comes slowly back to
them, gaining day by day a greater
vigor and beauty, until in June he
reaches the elimination of his power
So it will be seen that the shortest
day in the year. December 21st, in our
calendar, becomes quite properly the
last day in the year and it is not at
all amazing that the succeeding day.
when the sun commences his return
march to the north from that direful
southern limit, should be hailed by
glad and happy hearts and celebrated
with much drinking and feasting.
The bloody and complicated ritual Of
the Aztecs cOmmemorated the return
OF their masterfuI War-God, the, sun,
from the south, and the ceremonies
carried on his honor occupied a period
Of several days The initiatory rites
morning, when the, chief high priest
and his sub-dignitaries wended their
way in solemn procession to the top
of their greatest pyramidal sanctuary.
Here the high priest retired alone to
small temple. whose doorway opened
toward the east, and as the rising sun
crimsoned and purpled the serrated
mountains he kelt and sprinkled thick
Iy upon the marble floor the sacred
meal.
As the first rays of the newt born
sun strike slantingly across the floor
of the tiny temple, the bended priest
beholds a miracle. Family at first.
then stronger and stronger, grows an
imprint in the meal of the naked foot
of their war god. Upon this miracu-
lous manifestation the high priest an
nounces to the assembled couriers that
their god has returned to them. and
that the grand festal occasion is inau-
gurated.
Unhappily, the first feast rites We're
of a grewsOme and horrible nature.
consisting mainly in sacrificing youths
to the gods. 1t is said that they were
feasted for days previous to the cere-
mony, that they might be in a whole
fHOlAtc anu piCdSlllS tOIullIOn upon their
last and war gods first great day. In
other ceremonies human beings were
killed and flayed and the participants
in the sacrifice enveloped themselves
in the bloody skins of the victims, while
they took part in a wild and uncanny
dance.
While the observance of the New
Year among the Aztecs seemingly pre-
dominated in bloody rites, they were
most likely confined to the religious
order of the priests, and the mass of
the people, with no taint of blood on
their hands, might be happy and revel
in the feast of the New Year.
We find scattered through the mas
sive and tangled forests of Yucatan and
South America large numbers of the
wonderful pyramid ceremonial edifices.
upon which probably year after year
and century after century these horrible
sacrificial atrocities were practiced in
heralding in the New Year of the saw
age. To-day they lie deserted. Dust
to dust, ashes to ashes, and the Aztec
race has vanished from the face of the
earth; but, curiously enough. their cer-
emonies for the coming of the year are
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