The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-12-22
|AY, DECEMBER %. 1902
QUEER OLDPAGEANTS
SOME ANCIENT FESTIVALS AND
THEIR STRANGE CEREMONIES.

The Peculiar One That mmemorat-
ed the Flight Into EGypt-Tvelfth
Day and PlOw Monday Celebra-
tiOns In England.
England has had her miracle plays
from very early times, and many Of
them, intended to impress Scriptural
truths on the minds Of the ignorant
populace, were no doubt absurd and
irreverent enough to our modern ideas,
but none of them, one thinks, can have
equaled in grossness the Festival of
the ASS, which was instituted by the
Patriarch Theophylact of Constantine
pie in commemoration Of the flight into
Egypt.
Every year on Jan. II an ass, OH
Which beautiful girl with baby in
her arms was seated, after having
been led in solemn procession through
the city, was taken into the church and
placed near the high altar while the
service was performed; but instead of
giving the usual responses the people
all brayed as loudly as they could A
hymn in praise Of the ass was also
sung, the congregation joining as loud
ly as they could in the hee haw chorus.
This hymn is written in strange mix
ture Of French and medieval Latin
and consists Of nine verses and cho-
rus. 1t has been translated, and we
quote three of the verses so as to give
some idea of it's absurdity:
From the country. of the east
Came this strong and handsome beast,
This able ass beyond compare,
Heavy loads and packs to bear.
NOW, selgnior ass noble bray;
Thy beauteous mouth at large display.
Abundant food our haylofts yield,
And oats abundant load the field.
Hee haW! Hee haw! Hee haW!
True it is his pace is slow
Till he feels the quickened blow,
Till he feels the urging goad
On his hinder part bestowed. .
Now, Seignior ass, etc.
With your belly full of grain.
Bray, most honsred ass, a1penl
Bray out loudly, bray again:
Never mind the old amen;
Without ceasing bray again,
Amen! Amen! Amen! Amen!
Hee haw! Hee haw! Hee haw!
The due observance Of many Of the
old ceremonies was often made the oc-
casion if not for what could strictly
| speaking, be called pageant, yet at
least for festive gathering of the
whole neighborhood The first known
mention of the Dunmow fitch of bacon
given to two people who would make
| oath that they had been married
year and a day and had never repented
their choice, never had u quarrel and,
If free to be married again, would
choose the same person, appears in
Chaucer, where it is spoken of in the
prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale"
as Of an already well known institu-
ton.
There are many other old English
obseryances partaking of the nature of
kind of rude, rustic pageant which
with the decay of farming seem to be
quite dying out. Such are the Twelfth
day celebrations Of Herefordshire,
Worcestershire and the eastern coun-
ties and the Festival of Plow Monday
that was formerly held the first day
that blowing was to recommence after
the Christmas holidays.
Plow Monday was always the first
Monday after Twelfth day and is
very ancient festival. Before the ref
ormation the plowmen used to go
from house to house. collecting money
to purchase candles to burn before GER
tain Of the statues in the churches with
view to obtaining blessing on their
labors. The reformation, we are told
put out the lights, but could not ex-
thguish the festival The plowmen
still put ON their clean white shirts
over their Jackets and bedizened them
selves and their plows with ribbons.
% they had formerly done. but now.
instead 'of. buying plow lights, as they
were called, they purchased beer and
ended the day in riotous conviviality
ut the public house.
A Lincolnshire man, who says that
he has himself blown the horn at
many OF these rustic celebrations, tells
us how there the plOw is decorated and