Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1913-12-05


bride, clown, baby, goose, swan, pine
apple, o. anything the fancy has die
tated in the making, aud at any price
from fifty centavos to twenty-five
pesos. The jars are entirely con-
realed IN their fancy coverings, with
u stout rope around the top to sus-
pend them from the ceiling. 4 little
brown boy will trot along by your
side and carry your pinyata home
for you for few cents, no matter
how heavy ii is,
Thereafter they are filed with
nuts, candies. raisins, small oranges,
bananas, dates, pieces of sugar-cane
and II few small simple toys us, dolls
or animals; the pinyata is hung ready
for use. The servants and their chill
dren are permitted to come in and
share the fun, no distinction of class
being made at this time.
One after another of the company
are blindfolded and allowed three
strikes each at the pinyata with
envy cane rs il hangs, suspended
from the ceiling. When it is finally
broken and the contents tumble to the
floor of the patio there is II grand
scramble for the good things that
have fallen ont. aud each person is
permitted to keep whatever he or she
can get hold of first. Woe unto the
poor child who is timid aud slower
than the others, she is liable to get
very little indeed.
After the pinyaia the servants re-
/ tire. Il more or less elaborate supper
j. served, according to the station of
the host; iavors are distributed, usu-
ally some odd little figures of china
or blsque, filled with candy; dancing
and music follow until late hour.
Wine or cognac is plentiful, but very
few become intoxicated. The church
- celebrate these "tiestas," leaving
out. of course. the social features.
Ou Christmas eve at midnight is celc-
hratrd the mass. when the image of
the holy child is carried through the
cathedral by the high dignitarics of
the church. and the people are al
lowed Ia kiss the toes of the sacred
infant to show their alteration, after
which it j. placed III the groto fol
lowed by the lltanies, etc. After the
mass j. celebrated the bells ring out
.loyou~ly and n0sily aud one knows
that another Christmas day j. at
hand.
No one gets up early on Christmas
morning except the drvout women
who IN their black dresses nnd with
their black mantillas over their heads
attend the ten o'clock mass
\ visit to the booths or "pucstos"
during the holiday season is full of
interest ~ well ~ surprises to the
foreigner in Mexican city. The
sight of these queer and varied look
ing booths going up on the side of the
stree, adjoining the sidewalk on two
sides of the alameda or park is the
first indication of the approaching
holidays. Each booth is erected b\
the humble merchant who Is to uc-
cupy il, according Ia his own fancy
and H. they do not conform To- any
rules or regulations as to size or
shape. they are queer tumble of
galIy lighted "puestos."
There one can buy jumping Jacks
for two ccntavos clay dolls for two
Ia four cents. beautiful and curious
pottery, made from the Identical aztec
and tollcr DESIGNS for from twenty
10 fifty cents, beautiful baskets of
lmprrl~hnbc weave and color and
every size and shape from twenty
hNc cents To- one peso; clay figures of
ul''' hl'' "oil''I WIN DllN VI DIlSlll
calico fashioned into clothes: figures
of ung"inly looking animal. shape. |
Hike nothing ever seen brfor, sacred
IMAGES cwelry, clever whistles, rat
tl"' electric sparklrrs," ircwork,
Of all description, delicious randicd
fruits, ronserNcs, in fact anythn.
and everything is 10 be- found AT the
"pue>to>." The MeNicans are es
pccially clever at making candicd
fruits
All day and until midnight grcar
thr"nge of people crowd aud push
each other, good naturally. going aud
coming. cruwdln9 tn" walks in front
uf the booths almost 10 sutfocutiuu
making their purchases. visiting.
laughing and talking. But 1t mid
night. when there is no possibility of
more sales the merchants spread
their blankets on the mats or "pcta-
tes", hlow out their torch lights. drm,
down their one window IN front and
all crawl into the one bed or roll up
IN their single blankets. aud crawl
under the rude counter and 90 10