The Washington herald., 1907-03-24

To-day being Palm Sunday, observed rs
the anniversary OF the entry OF Christ into
Jerusalem Immediately prior to his cruel
fxion. we enter upon week which is
signalized In the monarchical countries Of
Europe with wonderful amount Of old
time ceremonies, some Of which are highly
picturesque IN referring thus TO the
Christian world / must eliminate there
form the members of the Orthodox Greek
Church Rite. who. having declined to
follow the remaining Christian churches
in their adoption Of the GTegorian calen-
dar necessarily celebrate their religious
festivals on dates that do not correspond
to ours Thus their Palm Sunday this
year will not come until our April y,
while she Car and bis subjects viii well
come Eastereon Sunday. May s. that is TO
say, four days only before our Ascension
Day. It is necessary TO call attention 70
this or. inasmuch as there Is diHer-
ence OF a fortnight between the eorre-
spending dates of the GregOrlan and Rus
sian calendars. We might otherwise be
disposed 10 assume that Russia's Easter
would come exactly two weeks after ours
on the other hand. our Easter and the
Jewish Passover may be said to coincide.
the Hebrew festival beginning on Satur-
day next, and ours on Sunday morning
While I'm Lutheran countries Palm sun
day is largely devoted TO the administra-
ton Of the rite of confirmation 50 as TO
admit OF those confirmed receiving com
mgnion on Holy Thursday. i'll commemo-
ration of the Last Supper it is in the
churches Of the Roman Catholic denomi-
nation that Palm Sunday is celebrated in
The most picturesque manner, by means
Of distribution of previously blessed
palms. and professions in and around the
/ sacred edifce of clergy and laity bearing
palms. which are afterWard preserved
by those who have received them through
out the ensuing twelve months, in the be-
lief THAI they viii exercise Il beneficent
influence This blessing Of the palms,
and the ensuing professions, date back
70 the earliest days Of the Christian era
and in Italy there is one family which
has for hundreds Of years enjoyed the
I strange monopoly Of furnishing all the
palms used for the purpose by the
churches and Basllicas in Rome. The
chief Of this family is Baron Bresea, OF
/ Genoa and san Reno. and he owes his
queer prerogative 10 the fact that the
/ founder Of his house assisted. at the peril
OF his life. to raise to its present posi-
I ton the great Egyptian obelisk which
occupies the center Of the Square Of St.
Peter. Lacking as were the ancients in
our modern mechanical devices fer the
lifting of great weights. the people in
/ trusted with the task OF setting up the
Iobelisk in question were Obliged TO con-
Itent themselves with mere ropes and cap
stans
Another picturesque ceremony Of Holy
/ Week al Rome is that known as the
washing Of the feet, on Thursday Ia
lcommem0ration of Christs washing the
/ feet of his apostles. It likewise takes
place on that day at the royal palace Of
/ Madrid. and at the Hofburg. at Vienna,
on the eve of Good Friday. But, where
as, in the Austrian and Spanish capitals
/ the people whose feet>are washed by the
/ sovereign axe twelve in number, in Rome
/ the Cardinal Vicar (who since 1870 takes
the place of the Pontin in the matterl
( invariably washes the feet Of thirteen
{
instead Of twelve poor men TO repre-
sent the apostles on this occasion dates
I from the reign OF Gregory the Great. Ac-
+ cording to sacred legend and popular ira
diuon, one Holy Thursday. when Gregory
I the Great was engaged IN washing the
I feet OF the twelve poor men, whom he
+ always assembled on that day at
! bounte0usly spread table, he suddenly
/ found a thirteenth before him, on whose
/ feet were the stigma Of the wounds of
I the cross. and who had mysteriously van
ished before the kneellug Pontln, COM
pletely overcome by the sight, had risen
10 his feet From that time forth, thir-
+ teen. instead Of being considered unlucky,
/ has always been looked upon as a sacred
/ number by the Roman Catholic Church,
and more especially az Rome and no
where is the prejudice against the mum
/ ber thirteen regarded with more int0ler-
ance to-day than at the Vatican.
At the Vienna Hofburg, the venerable
! Emperor, in spite of his advanced age
never fails on Holy Thursday to perform
/ in person the ceremony OF washing the
, feet OF twelve poor men, who, arrayed in
new clothes furnished by him for the
occasion, sit in a line on a raised dias.
After a brief religious ceremony the
monarch kneels before each one in turn
and pours on TO the extended foot some
/ tepid rose-seented water from a golden
ever, which is carried for him by the
/ cardinal archbishop of Vienna, while the
/ senior arehduke present bears the golden
/ basin Another high dignitary extends TO
him the embroidered towel with which
he dries each foot. When the foot wash
ing is complete, and the men have re-
| sumed their footwear, they take their
place az a bOuntifully spread table, where
they are waited upon by the Emperor and
the archdukes, and afterward sent TO their
respective homes in court carriages, each
furnished with weII-fIIed purse and a
large basket containing dishes prepared
by the imperial chef and wines from the
imperial cellar.
At Madrid Don Alfonso. II sufficiently
recovered from his severe attack OF infig-
enza. viii undertake the same ceremony.
but it Is a question whether the young
/ Queen. in her present delicate condition
/ Of health, viii be able 10 undergo the IA
tigue of going through the performance
of washing the feet of her poor women.
The aspect Of Madrid. and in fact. of
IAN other Spanish cities during Holy Week.
is OF a nature which carries one back
to the Middle Ages. From Thursday
evening until Sunday morning no car
riage, cart. tramcar, or omnibus is al
lowed in the streets. All the sentinels
and troops. when on duty. have Grape on
/ their sword hits and epaulettes. Women
of all classes are dressed in sable hues,
and wear the national mantiIla. Music
and the sound Of bells are forbidden dur