The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-07
DAY IN JERUSALEM
How Easter Is Celebrated in That
Holy City.
IT IS SANCnFIEO TO MOSLEMS
Because in II Stands the Famous
Mohammedan Temple.

hOckS add to the picturesque OddlLy OF
the scene. AS the procession passes
along some Indian dervish in it may be
going through his antics, swaying from
side to side as he works himself into
frenzy, or another passes along with
dagger thrust through both cheeks,
skewerwise. There is the green banner
of Mahomet and the military band Of
Jerusalem garrison. all mixed up with
the rabble tina forms this procession,
which is neither imposing nor impress
sive but all the more curious on that
account.
while the feast Neby R1ousa IS NOV
able like Easter, it often comedies there
with, ana Gooo Friday IS the day for all
kinds of professions in Jerusalem. In
fact, all Holy Week might be called pro-
cessiOn week in the city of shrines. What
with the fifteen or twenty thousand
Russian Christian pilgrims that comes to
Jerusalem at this season, the ten or fif-
teen thousand Christian of other nation
aIities, the thousands Of Moslems come
for Neby Mousa, and the hundreds of
Jews from all over the world come to
celebrate the Passover, Jerusalem is
overlooking with people and the excite
ssWhilethere,' added DR.. Mes, Mrs.
Mes and I were invited by Jew to be
present at the celebration at the entrance
Of the Feast Of the Passover in the house
Of another poor Jew. 1t was interesting
ing in many ways, but I could not help
noticing the half q dozen fowls resting
on stick near my elbow in the chief
room of the house. The ceremonial was
simple, but much like that to be seen the
world over. The poverty Of the man was
so great that he told me he had been try
ing to save enough money to plaster the
inside of his house for the last four years
and when, upon learning that it would
cost the large sum of SO, that amout was
furnished him, the poor fellow could not
get over it. OF course the ceremonies
for which we had chiefly come to Jeru-
saIemat this season, were those chiefly
directed with Laster, and we were more
than repaid for all our trouble by what
we saw.
"On the Greek Palm Sunday we Sc
cured permission to visit the Coptic
church, just outside the walls Of Jerusa-
lem. We were informed that the services
would begin ten hours after sunset and
calculating, we found this would DE about
o'clock a. m. Rising a. this early hour,
we made our way to the church, and
found it to be a strange building, mod
elIed somewhat after that of the Holy
Sepulchre, with a huge blue dome over
head. The place was crowded with wor-
shippers, standing or crouching bebehind
and among the numerous lofty pillars
which formed an inner and an outer cir
Gle around the central shrine, correspond
ing to the sepulcnre in the church after
which it was modelled.
This alter was about twenty feet cube,
and in front of it, facing the entrance
to the church, stood a long row of dark
featured, white robed figures, bearing
long slaves surmounted by Egyptian
crosses. One of the monks started
weird chant, in deep, wailing voice; then
another took it UP, and as the echoes
rolled back from the huge dome ana the
far corners Of the structure the whole
company of monks broke out into the
wild wall, shrinking their slaves upon the
ground and swaying their bodies and
waving their arms in a wild ecstasy of
deotion.
THE musical accompaniment to this
singing consisted of a double drum Gym
balls and the clapping of hands. After
a while four priests entered and cele-
brated the mass. They put off the white
robes and donned gorgeous ones decor
ated wit halmost barbaric profusion, and
L looked through a grating to see the
ceremony, which consisted chiefly of
walking about the interior Of the shrine,
around and altar within, but when they
noticed me looking through the graf
ing a curtain was drawn, for this mys-
terios ceremony was not TO be seen by
any one but the four taking part in it.
1T was the ceremony Of the blessing of
the palms, and after the speace of per
haps half an hour the lour priests again
emerged, having put aside their gor-
geous robes and again donned the white
garmets, bearing huge masses Of palms in
their hands. These were quickly dis
tributed TO the assembled multitude. who
sought them out eagerly.
ct was noticed that there were four
gates to the central shrine. at each of
which the ciroling procession stopped as
it marched. and Mr. Joseph Curtin who
attended the service with me. suggested
an ideawhich Immediately apea3ed to me
as correct-that this shrine. with its four
gates. represented the four quarters of
the earth. espeoiallywhen taken in con
necuon with the star-studded dome over
head, SO that in this Easter ceremonial
layan undoubted Renaissance of some
thing cosmic at time at which the idea
Of cosmic worship was uppermost in the
minds Of priests and devotees.
fastening from the Coptic church.
continued DR. Mes. we went TO the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre to witness
the ceremonies CT the day as celebrated
there by the Greek church proper. our
guide. q man Of commanding height and
of some Importance in the cit.-. had eli
he could do to force a passage way for
US through the multitude that filled every
corner Of she huge edifce.
I've made our way with great diai-
cuty through the main building 70 the
Greek chapel. in which is the stone said
TO be the center of the world and
there we found the Patriarch Of the
Greek church and l0ng reunue of at
tendant priests marching il stately pro-
cessioa around this stone
The vestments worn by the Patriarch
ard the priests were The most ornate
ana gorseous possible. and the procession.
which they formed. made most imposing
spectacle. especially wheu viewed in com
nec1ioawith the thousands Of ralm
oranchse wavias in the hands Of ten
Thousand Evorshippers packed within the
walls, with barely standing room. each
person bearing candle. ard all the go--
eeous lamps and candles q the sanotu-