The times., 1899-04-08
Fiesta OF THE NEGRO
VIRGIN IN MATANZhS
Scenes of Wild Reyelry and
Pleasures Abandon.

! bttlOo VI W lio liS Sl1 oho
Pleasures Abandon.
Picturesque as a Whole But eften
Disgusting in Incident.
! MirtI's Madness Supreme Until Dawn
Coming-A Strange. Weird. Pill
grir,age On Cuban Soil
Havana, March 25.-On the 18th of this
month we went over to Matanzas-a four
hour run by the Central Railway. to wit
ness the annual fiesta of La Virgin ne
gra," the negro virgin, who is celebrated
/ with greater eclat in Matanzas than any
where else on the island. Nobody seems
able to account for a colored mother OF
| Christ except the dusky race on earth,
who contend that theirs is the complexion
natural TO man and the lighter shades but
miserable adulterations. | have seen sew
eral representations of her in the Church
OF Mexico Peru and Brazil. and doubtless
they exist in other Spanish Catholic coun-
tries One is prepared for saddle-hued
! Saint Augustines, as that worthy was a
] Moor, but the raison d'etre of a black
virgin remains mystery She does not
appear in the Cuban capital, where living
negroes abound, but in MatanZas, where
the sons and daughters of Ham are COM
paratively few. there is a church in her
honor. II stands just beyond the outskirts
of the city on top of the ridge that di-
vides the valley. 1t was built nearly two
centuries ago by pious Catalan grandee
to commemorate some important happen
ing in the history of his family Only
twice year are services held IN the OLD
sanctuary-on March 13 and September %.
but its doors are always open and true be-
lievers-mestly of the colored race-come
daily to invoke the virgins blessing and
leave before her shrine their votiye offer
ings of shells, first fruits, turtle doves, and
fragrant flowers.
Al Aatanzas station we selected the least
rickety volante in sight and drove out
quickly to take look at the famous vir-
gin in advance of the crowd. Rattling
along the narrow city streets, across the
stone bridge of San Juan, through the aris-
tocratic suburb of Bellamar and the squat
ted purlieus beyond, we found the heat OF
early spring intense, like that of midsum-
mer in New England. But higher up on
the hill slopes a breeze blew fresh and
cool from over the Caribbean Sea, and We
wondered anew why the good people of
Matanzas did not erect their homes above
the sitting port.
Church of La Virgin NeGrn.
The Church of La Virgin Negra is a
quaint structure of ime-mellowed stone,
surmounted by gilt cross and surrounded
by high walls of masonry. Because Of its
I rositfon commanding wide view pf CITY
harbor, and adjacent country. the Spanish
soldiers made ii a redout, at the now hi.-
toric time when Blanco's mule met its
death from American guns. Among other
vandal acts, they cut down many of the
grarled old oaks that once shaded the en-
closure-brought when baby trees from the
Balieric Island-and knocked out embra-
sures in the walls. Today the interior is
bare and cheerless beyond compare. We
found the altar heaped with sea shells, and
the shrine decorated to represent subma-
rine grotto, significant of some incident in
the history of the Virgin. who is believed
to be particularly mindful of sea- faring
people.
The sacred image, of wood, is rather
squat and square, with face and hands OF
inky blackness and the incongruous fea-
lures of blue eyes and a blonde wig. 1t
was superbly dressed in purple satin en-
broidered with gold jeweled tiara above
the yellow curls and a great many rings
upon the wooden fingers and strung on a
chain around the neck-the gifts OF faith
full followers.
We climbed the tottering stairs to the
belfIy. and were repaid for our toll by the
glorious view unfolded. Sitting among the
rusty bells. the largest of which was cast
in Barcelona 223 years ago. amid hun
dreds of tiny cameleons. darting about the
hot walls and regarding us with bright. in
quisitive eyes-we looked over two lovely
valleys and a broad eXpanse OF shining
water Below lay the shabby Old town.
asleep in the sunshine, its forty eight
thousand inhabitants apparently all dead o.
gone of on a holiday; the tranquil bay in
front, and distant mountains veiled in mist,
reminding one of the Berkshire Hills on
the Blue Ridge of Virginia
On the left OF the ridge lay the far
famed Vale of Yumuri, dotted with palms,
carpeted with richest vegetation and
adorned with streams like siivery ribbons :;
on the right, MatanZas valley, stretching
westward till merged in the tropical jun
gle. No forests are left in this part OF
Cuba The mountains-so called though
none of them are more than 5000 feet high
are covered with prickly chapparel, so
thick that it can be penetrated only by use
of the machete.
Ii was a perfect summer day, except that
there were few signs of insect life, and one
missed the songs of birds. No cheerful
note of robin. whippoorwill. or phoebe
made the air melodious-not even the shrf,l
scream of the paroquit or the gentle voice
of the chippy was to be heard. Cuba used
10 have birds galore-cardinals orioles,
lomoguines. quail, plover, and countless
other kinds. What has become of them
all? Alas, The horde of starving recon-
centrados and almost equally hungry pa
triots OF both armies, trapped and ate them
year ago.
The Spanish soldiers, being in better
position for gastronomic choice. used to
stew the tiny bones in grease and garlic;
the rest were glad enough TO get them
sofa. Occasionally a lazy buzZard foated
overhead with an eye single to carton; but
even that is now becoming scarce in the
Islands, thanks to American cleanliness
and the vultures begin TO grow thin A
railway train. steaming out of Matanzas
for Santa Clara Sagua la Grande. and
Cienfuegos, looked in the distance like a
child's toy. and the procession. already
forming in the narrow streets below,
might have stood for the citizens of Lili-
put.
DcsuIntion of idIeness.
Hurrying back to town in order to miss
none OF the fiesta ceremonies, our volante
dashed down the slopes, closely followed
by begging gamin and lean ours. Every
minute the sun grew hotter, not a breath
. ! of air stirring below the hill-tops. the
heat rising from the dry white road and
dust-laden foliage and fairly uuVering