The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-11-24
QUAINT oLD-TIME FESTIVAL.
1t Takes Ptsas Once in Seven Years
la ii '%xe Town in Bel
EIan LiTnbourS.

Every seven ycarsin one OF the town
of Belgian Lia4bourg Il festival take
place which is one OF the most Gu
rious surriyals OF early church his
tory that exists in Europe to-day
This festival Is said to date back fur
ther than any similar peasant cere
monies on the continent. The sep
tenniaI commcmoration has just been
completed and the little town Of Hes
self has subsidized into seven more
years Of inconspicuous guietude. 1t
is only those celebrations which at
tract the attention Of the world to
the town. During The festival held a
few weeks ago 10000 visitors are said
to have crowded into the village.
Luckily the ceremonies last only d
short time, and the restraint on the
towns hospitality is soon relaxed.
The ceremonies are in honor Of a
statue of the Blessed Virgin which
was fixed to the trunk of tree cen
turtles ago. The tradition is that in
the Campini desert travellers from
Antwerp to Germany were accus-
toned 10 break their journey at a
grove of hazel trees, which was called
in Flemish "Hazelbosch." The statue
was said to have the power of going
to the assistance Of wayfarers in the
desert who were in need of aid. The
circumstances under which the statue
was first placed there are not known,
but as early as the eighth century
watch tower had been placed there
and a number of huts had been built
Pilgrims had already become com
mon, and the renown of the statue
spread throughout the lowlands. The
village was established through this
means when in 1884 4 brotherhood to
take care Of the statue was formed by
the prince bishop of Liege. A chapel
was erected to enshrine the statue,
and from that time date the process
sions in it's honor which are continued
to this day. The wars of the six
teenth century compelled their TEN
porary suspension, but they revived |
afterward with great splcndor. At
the beginning of the last century it |
was decided to discontinue the annual |
procession, and, in order to give it |
greater solemnity, make the festivals |
occur every seven years. It was then |
decided that the statue should be ex- |
posed to the people, borne on the |
shoulders of eight priests and es-
corted by the clergy of the diocese.
Until the French revolution the fes-
tiVities attracted crowds, but in 1897
the church was changed into a temple
of reason, and not until 1901 was there
any thought of rcviying the festival.
In 1907 they were resumed with
unusual dignity. The pope presented to
the statue two golden crowns, and
they We're put into place by an arch
bishop who bore them from Rome.
Ever since that time the festival has
been held without interruption.
1t is not the procession itself which
interests the visitor most. That is
composed chiefly of children dressed
and grouped 10 depict certain scenes |
blackened with age, is draped with a =
heavily jewelcd rope and carried =
through the village streets. The pro-
ccssion has many qualities in common
with similar religious observances. 1t Il
is the decoration of the town which I
makes the festival unique For weeks
before the festival is held, the children
Of the village. and some of the older q
ones. are busy planting trees, which r
ire to blot the town cut of existence
md make the old forest apparently
arise in its place about the chapel in "
which the statue stands. Every house q
5 hidden from view by the foliage. and
% completely is this done that the
streets and lanes seem only to be Is
'oads cleared through deep forest +,
\ number of }uts which tradition saws
TODD III certain spots are restored.
nd various episodes in the legend
ry history Of the old town of Hazel
'osch are shown. The first man who Vi
5 said 10 have built his hut near the 81
tatue looks from window smoking .,
is pipe, while his wife draws water at -
nearby well. In one place the Vir- III
in is shown extending her relief to th
lost traveller while in another the !.
estoratiou to life of a negro child ="
no has starved TO death is repro- 81
need as tradition says the miracle m
ceurred. One feature of the process ~
on not wholly religious is the rep
esentation Of the giant HcsseIt, who Or
supposed to have lived there six &c
snturies ago. represented by the
ggcst man in the town, he drives
trough the green lanes ladling out
"a soup from a huge kettle into
ie outstretched cups and pans Of the Al
None of the religious re'
declarations Of Europe is said to be of
PIT up with greater enthusiasm than i,
rs one. Every returning seventh tH'
ar finds the townspcople eager to on
peat the interesting mummerv.-N. h.,
sun.
Women Namcless in Corcp. a.
1he torean woman has not even Z ~