El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-22

= EXICO CITY, Mex, March .
MI After the sorrow of Len
ten season, bathed in blood
Mexico city will celebrate Easter sun
day as the gayest day Of the year
There Will be a great bull fight in the
Plan de TorOs, the theaters viii have
rlaunees and night performances and
Judas viii be hung again and again
by the children and grown ups In all
parts of the city This hanging OF
Judas is a regular Easter celebration
It was originated by the indians, to
give them a chance to vent their rage
upon the traitor TO Christ, and it is
still so used in the more ignorant back
districts. although in the cities it has
become a mere show for the children.
Here at the Mexican capital images
Of Judas. made in all shapes and sizes,
are peddled about the streets in ad-
vance Of the celebration They range
in price from a few cents TO a, numb
OF dollars, the larger ones being often
filled with firecrackers and other eX-
plOsives, which go of and blow Judas
To pieces
These Judas figures are made as ugly
as possible. They have ropes attached
TO them and they are dragged about
They are knocked about this way and
that until their owners think they have
sufficiently shown their disgust and
contempt They are then taken up and
hung. Sometimes a rope is stretched
across the street from the second story
windows OF the houses on the opposite
from the middle, and at others a nag
staff Is put out with Judas at the end
OF it Both children and grOWn-upS
mob the ef1gy, throwing stones at 1T
or Delting 1t with mud
Some Of these Judas figures ar
stuffed with candles and presents fTsr
the children but in such cases they re
usually hung inside the patios or cOu Fts
rnN ia
can keep the sweets for themselves
There are also merchants who n Rng
Judases above their stores. the fig ares
being filled with petty articles Of one
kind or other. When the explosion oc-
ours, the contents are scattered over
the sidewalk, and the crowd fights for
them, the whole serving as an sLdver-
tisement for the establishment which
Lent in Mexico.
Easter Sunday is very populSEr here
on account Of the right way in. which
the MeXcans celebrate Lent During
that time all festivities are pr bhibited-
The church viii not perform The Cere-
monies Of marriage, and all of the
women put off their fine clothes and
wear only black Even the churches
are clad IN black and the gorgeous al
tars have sable nantes over their
beautiful decorations Of gold, silver
and lace Every good Christian is
supposed to 90 to church, and all of
the women and the indians dc, so. The
church bells ring from morning till
night and they awaken me before day
break by their din
This continues untE Palm Sunday,
when the indians bring in palms by the
thousands and crosses, woven of
palms are everywhere sold Some OF
these crosses are from six TO ten feet
in length and some are so small that
YOU can wave them in your hands.
Some are not more than two inches
wide, being made Of the finest fibers
Of palm. Others are of the whole
leaves and often a single large palm
cross will sell for s.. These palms
are blessed by the priests and are car
ried home to be tied to the front bal
comics, there to remain until the next
Palm Sunday
Good Friday has its own special ser
vices. and in the afternoon and evening
OF that day the churches viii be dark
and the WOrshipers viii engage in 81
lent prayer The last Of the ceremOn-
les occur Saturday morning. when the
chOirs viii sing the Gloria" to organ
accomplishments. At the same time the
black draperies viii be stripped from
the affairs and the bells viii be rung-
After this the gaieties viii commence
and Easter VII practically begin
Government and the Church
The Mexican government now insists
that there shall be an absolute separa-
ton OF church and state, 1t prohibits
church professions throughout the
No one is allowed to wear
clerical garb on the street and you
10 not see monks with t0nsured heads. [
wearing sandals and long gowns, or