Evening star., 1900-11-08
ST to S1.98 Undermuslins,
60c.
MEXICAN MERRYM AKING.
How the LabOrers on a Plantation
Celebrate Its Saints Day.
From the Mexican Herald.

From the Mexican Herald.
The time-honored custom of celebrating
the saints day. after some one of which
nearly all the large haciendas in Mexico
are named, was witnessed Sunday at one of
the principal ranches in this valley.
This custom was started by the Spaniards
religious rite and still retains a great
deal of the same sentiment, although it is
looked forward to by most as : genuine
merrymaking. The extent of the celebra-
ton depends on the number of families liv-
ing on the hacienda and the liberality of
the owner, who generally gives a certain
sum to one of the leading employees leaving
the matter in his hands to arrange for the
grea test amount of enjoyment to his fellow
workmen. A strict account is kept of the
way this money is spent, SO there is no dis
satisfaction among the others, although the
workman enjoying the distinction of being
chosen to manage the feast is generally a
leading star in the proceedings.
In the celebration of Sunday the ranch
house had been beautifully decorated with
flowers and evergreens, with Chinese lam
terms hung in rows along the portaes.
While work was more than usually well
attended to the day before. one could no.
uce an undercurrent of excitement prevail
Ing in the colony of some sixty odd hands,
and by o'clock Saturday everything was
ready for the short vesper dance which is
usually held on the night before the saints
day celebration proper. If the music pro-
cured for the occasion is good enough, lie
people of the house generally enjoy a little
dance themselves, while all the poems gath
er in front of the main building and are
left entirely to their own devices to make
the most of the occasion. This was the
case on Saturday night, but while the in
side entertainment was all that could be
| wished for, the attraction of watching the
fun outside drew most of the family on
the veranda. All the poems of the place,
of course. had gathered, from babies in
arms to old men and women. and all en-
joyed the music and dancing in quiet way
for the two hours to which it was limited.
However, this was only the preliminary
for the program of the next day. AT $3.50
in the morning mass was heard in the little
chapel of the place, the priest and band
being paid for out of the fund devoted for
the occasion. AT this mass not only the
workpeople and the people of the house at
tended, but also many from the neighbor-
ing haciendas. Particular prayers were
| said for the success of the hacienda, and
altogether a very impressive service held.
Everything went as usual during the day,
but at night the entertainment was given
over entirely to the workpeople Tables
had been placed on the lawn In front or
| the house. on which were immense stacks
of candy and fruit; free pulque from the
ranch had been procured in quantities, and
| the major domo. had to have several as
sistants to help him deliver these .nings,
of which the people, old and young, are
| SO fond. System had to be employed In dis
tributing the fruit and candy As they
passed in front Of the tables those APP
| pointed as walters gave to each as much
as they could conveniently get away with
| in day or so. Attempts are always made
| to work the walters as many times as pos
sible and it was amusing to watch the lit
| tie fellows especially dodge through the
crowd and start in again, marching up
seriously and innocently could be with
| their little shirts bursting with what they
| had already slowed away inside.
The dancing began about bout O'clock Zoe ;aoa and
| the whole of the time by old and young.
| 1t doesn't make much difference on these
occasions who or what the partner H. so
! long as they are nimble on their feet and
| have good staying powers. If girl or
| woman be not available, men and boys
| dance with each other. the primary object
| being not to waste the music
| Perfect order, good feeling and ool!teness
| prevailed, and after the night was over the
| people were ready to go home feeling bet
| ter for their recreation and resolved to de-
serve by their work another fiesta Of like
! kind when the time comes around.