Daily camera., 1899-02-02
LENT IN OLD HAVANA
,&ssE t-.@tza r4,eE -
Sights Of the Cuban City in Carni.
val Time.
The Streets at Night Are ThrOnGed
with Crowds of C0StumeA
Revelers-Danoin At
the Theater.

The first Sunday after our arrival
was carnival sort of treating res.
olution" celebration, for Lent had "a
ready begun, and nothing could be less
Lenten than the carriages and COS,
tunes which, about four o'clock, began
to pour past our hotel (the Pasage) AL
making the round of the Paseo Isabel.
la, and then out to the Prado and back
"a circuit of a couple of miles orso.
Recalling the old proverb about
Rome and the Romans, We accepted the
invitation of friends to join the gaJ
procession, and were presently seated
in a fine barouche drawn by four
horses, their tails plated with red.
white and blue ribbon-a delicate com
piment to our nationality-and tied
to the saddles in true Cuban fashion.
while our negro driver was gotten up
in the height of barbaric splendor.
In spite of our determination to be
Roman. we hadinstinctively put on our
hats to go out, but although the use Of
bonnets is becoming quite general in
Cuba, they are not so during the car
nival time. for nearly all the fair Ha-
Elneras whose carriages we met OF
passed had their own magnificent hair
elaborately dressed and ornamented
as their only headgear; and many of
them were costumed as if for a ball
with uncovered shoulders and arms.
and richly ornamented dresses of white
or .delicately tinted silk, with profu-
sion of jewels. t..
A few persons, both male and female,
wore half masks, and good many, ap-
parently not of the haut ton, were
draped in fancy costumes, some, of
them rather funny, but generally in
poor taste; indeed, the same rule ap-
piled here which is found universal all
over the world on such occasions-the
best people were the quietest in dress.
manner and department. g +
A few volantes, richly ornamented, as
were the harnesses of the horses and
he livery of the valeseros guiding
them. Joined the procession; but these
carriages are almost banished from Ha-
vana by the more convenient victoria
or barouche, while few misguided
emigres have brought home coupes,
which look sadly out of place in this
out-of-door climate.
In the evening we attended the ball
at the Tacon theater, and from a coigne
Of vantage in the first tier of boxes
ooked at the motley crowd of revelers
below. Here again fancy dresses We're
the exception. and plain black dom
noes and masks the rule: favorite
disguise being complete and tight
fitting coveringAof black for the head
neck and shoulders, passing down in
side the dress. so that noG one line OF
point of those portions remainedrpossi-
BILE to recognition; while handsome
bandanna handkerchief was wound, ne
gro fashion, around the head ..s..
Many of them also had their skin Gov
ared and wore wigs ofnegro wool, with
black gloves, but no bona fide negroes
If either sex We're admitted. and tie
company is as select as can in srch
cases be managed; plenty of balls be-
Dg available at the same hour for per-
sons of other classes.
Two bands at opposite points in the
gallery furnished music of an exceed
ngly inartificial nature, but wei
adapted to its use of ma rking time for
the dancers, who filled the floor with
out intermission from eight O'Clock
until three or four o'clock in the morn
ing. ....... ......
The only dance, however, was the
danza criolla, or Cuban waltz, OCCASION
ally amplified into the four simple fig
ures of the quadrille, but always com
ing back to the waltz movement pecu!-
lar to this climate and people. anl
more resembling the graceful postur-
ing and undulatory movement of the
Egyptian ghawazee than the rapid.
heating, ungraceful gyrations of our
American walters. .-..-.
Returned to our pretty apartment,
we seated ourselves in the balcony. and
for another hour enjoyed the gay life
OF the city spread out at our ffet. for
although it was past midnight, the car
riages rolled by us as merrily as ever;
the plaza in front of the house was
thronged with promenaders; the dance
music foated through the fresh air.
not only from the Tacon theater op-
posite, but from French ball going
On at hotel upon the Pasco Isabella;
while the brilliant row Of gaslights.
branching away ina every direction.
mapped out the streets more clearly
than-by day. ~ "a
Night is, after all, the time to see
Havana and its people to the best adj
vantage, for it is seldom until about
that the ladies venture out ex-
cept to early mass, while the evening
is always chosen for the most .ceremo-
inious visits.-rMrs. Frank Leslie, in
Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly.
What HaDpened to the CrowY -fti