Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-07
Cause of Rumanian Uprisings
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ancestry. The bride is carried away from
the home of her father on the bridegroom's
horse. There is a noisy chase participated
in by the father and the girls relatives.
The couple are finally brought back and a
concession is made to Christianity by a
marriage with much ceremony In the viii
lage church.
Their dances, which are frequent seem
to be survivals too OF the ancient customs.
From the mountain villages in the spring
time there come down groups OF dancers
to invade the towns and villages. The
dancers wear bells on their heels, sleeves,
trousers and skirts, and they shout and
stamp with their feet on the ground. For
a long time no one was able 10 explain the
words they chanted or the reason for all the
noise. but people set to work to study 1t
and found that it was an adoption of the
Pyrrhic dance Of ancient mythology. The
noise 10 that made by the protectors Of
young Jupiter and his mother to conceal
the cries OF the babe from the father, Sat
urn, who was seeking to devour him.
The shepherd is the most familiar figure
in the poetry and stories OF the people.
This man, who takes his focks each spring
from their winter quarters on the steppes
to the mountain meadows is considered
akin to the wind and the FAIRIES. His iso-
lated life in the highlands for the greater
part of the year and his long days Of ST.
lence lead him almost TO forget the use OF
the tongue and to avoid human beings He
is a mysterious person who is no ones
lover, for no girl would dare to fall in
love with him. Even a fairy, according to
the most familiar OF these folk takes. ran a
risk in loving Ion, as he was already be-
trothed to a fountain.
Another man Of mystery Is the hermit
priest, the skimmitE. As a youth he goes
far up among the orags OF the Carpathians
and with his own hands builds hut. His
food is the fish Of the streams and the
nuts from the forest trees Others Of his
brotherhood may join him in his retreat,
but they dwell apart and in silence.
Carmen Sylvia tells Of one Of those noun
tain communities that she Unexpectedly
came upon in an untravelled part of tho
forest. The men that answered her call
seemed to have lost the power OF speech,
and with their bent and dwarfed bodies
and long hair and whiskers resembled moth
ing so much as gnomes The only record
Of time that they had kept was a row OF
white stones and from this she imagined
that they had lived there for half a CEN
fury. They were utterly ignorant Of all
that had taken place in the world since
their solitary lives began and they believed
that they were still under the rule Of the
sultan The peasant in the mountains who
catches a glimpse OF a skimmitz or Of the
silent mountain shepherd crosses himself
devoutly and hastens on his way.
Down IN the plains the creatures that are
held in the same superstitious awe are the
gypsies. Bands Of these rovers are found
on every highway Of Rumanla and the
peasants regard their black magic as far
more potent than any supernatural power
claimed by the priests. Gypsy women are
sometimes met as peddlers OF kitchenware
or of trinkets and laces, but It is as sellers
Of charms and tellers OF fortunes that they
are more familiar. They mix love potions
Of the blood OF animals and birds, pre-
tend 10 beWttch the waters OF wells TO
spread death among the cattle and to in
fuence the elements In the favor Of or
against the interest OF the peasant. And
most terrible OF all they hang on the
threshold OF the hut whose owner they dis
like q red rag. a curse that Is sure 70
bring dire calamity.
Life on these great level plains IL dis
tinctive and peculiar. The peasant homes
are not separate. but in little clusters
For months in the winter the roads are
impossible and each village Is dependant
solely upon itself Generally the first evil
dsnce that the traveller has OF the ap-
proach TO one OF these clusters OF wretched
novels Is an immense hay stack. The ex-
PLANTATION OF is great size Is simple,
Hay Is one OF the chief productions OF
the country. cut and cured by both peasant
and landed proprietor. Formerly when