The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-01-15
Fiesta Season in Mex
RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL. BVT MEKIc
OBSERVE BY BLING -

The fiesta season in Mexico Is just
concluded, ending with the Christmas
holidays. II is religious fiesta, cele-
brating In honor of Our Lady OF Gaud.
alupe but the principal feature of the
celebration is the gambling of the ma
tives Nowhere else in the world does
such a condition prevail.
Everything. from n Mexican penny
as big almost as an American half dol
lar and worth Just half as much as
one OF the American copper cents up
10 big sums In gold, is laid as a wager
on the gambling table. And every
game known TO man is offered for the
sportive Mexican with desire to
buck the tiger" and the desire is in
the hearts OF all; il must be, for they
all buck" il 10 their last cent. A
Mexican is a good loser and the same
sort OF n winner. lie can play all day
Tor few pennies or a few dollars, ac
cording TO his station in life and the
size Of his bets, and always his face
wears the same stolid look Win or
lose, smile rarely ever illumines his
face nor does his manner change.
Americans gamble for the money
and when bunch" OF them enter
one Of the casinos at a Mexican border
town in fiesta time they wake things
up Not so with the Mexican. He
CANDLES for fun and he never hurries
II he loses he merely shrugs his shout
ders, gets up from the table. stretches.
and ambles of. either for home or
work or TO the pawn shop to raise
some more money 10 resume the game
next day. II he wins he gets up only
when he feels that il is necessary to
sleep or eat. but always with the same
stolid Indifference to his luck or sur
roundings. He puffs his cigaret as
nonchalantly when the luck is with
the dealer as when il is coming his
way and he never gets ratified
Tie Mexican is always serious when
he is having his fun bull fight will
bring forth a few cheers and "vivas."
and sometimes the fireworks that a
paternal government explOdes for his
amusement on a patriotic holiday will
elicit an exclamation Of appreciation
but seldom does he change counte-
nance unless something unusual hap
pens Whether Il is al the cockfight
when his best rooster fops over dead
I'm the dust or knocks over the other
rooster and utters his crow of victory;
In the bull ring when his favOrlte mat
ador stabs a bull to the death or at
the gambling table. he is generally al
ways the same quiet. slow going, but
sure, individual. To bet with a Mexi-
can is second nature. and IL is a seri-
Gus matter with him. Hence there is
no frivolity about II.
This lends an attraction distinctive
ly different from anything anywhere
else TO their fiestas. for gambling is
the chief event Of a fiesta II is the
concession for the gambling privileges
that pays all the expenses Of the
| music. the fireworks. and the other
features of the annual observance in
honor of the greatest mythical relig-
ious idol in the country The celebra-
tions are always held in the shadow
OF the village church. for while church
and state are officially separate in
Mexico. all the social features of the
average Mexican town center about
the ancient whitewashed adobe struc.
ture erected by some band OF venture
some and pious padres away back In
the long ago Large buildings Of sheet
iron or lumber are erected in these
| plazas for the bigger games. and in
/ the space between the smaller tables
l are operated-the tables where ,
/ cents is a big bet and a claquer-the
big copper penny is the rule.
Inside the big structures the bands
| play and the dancers sing and dance
70 hold the crowds Here the wheels
OF the brightly colored roulette games
whirr twenty-four hours a day and the
tobacco smoke is so thick that breath
ing is next 10 impossible. II Is these
games that attract the Americans. for
here the gold and the silver and the
bills pass over the green cloth and the
wagers OF the game are high. II is