Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-04-20
From the Washington Star.

iN' " l" lLiC y VI
history or religious progress apart from
their picturesque features. AS to the
most important festival of the eccles-
iastical year, in commemorating as it
does the supreme event in the great
tragedy that forms the foundation of
the Christian faith, the elimination of
the divine mission to sinful humanity.
1t is only natural that it should be cele-
DRAFTED with a great deal of pomp and
Solemnlty, although it cannot be denied
that in many instances the methods OF
celebra ION, the forms and ceremonies,
can be traced back to secular and, In
many instances, to pagan sources.
They represent, as a matter of fact,
features of old time faiths and beliefs
that, on O of their impressiveness
and the boons they conveyed, the people
We're unwilling to abandon, and the
early fathers of the church wisely
adopted them in modified form and
adapted them to the teachings of Chris
tianity. AS an instance, may be
quoted the attitude of st. Paul toward
the altar erected by the Greeks to the
unknown God" which identity the
apostle tactfully connected with the
God whose word he had come to preach.
Italy, perhaps more than any other
country, is the land of elaborate II
interesting Easter ceremonies. From
Rome, where the presence and par
tlclpatlon of the supreme pontif e
special state n Importance to all af-
fairs of the church, to the humblest viii
iase, almost every community has its
own peculiar customs and forms of
ceremony for Easter, and many of them
are intensely interesting on account of
their picturesque originality and their
religious or historical significance. All,
however, have for their final object the
impression on the human mind of the
significance of the event that occurred
nearly 1000 years G at Jerusalem,
and In some way they are designed to
emphasize the grave Importance of the
Savior's sacrifice on Calvary. All over
Italy the custom prevails of priests go
ing around Easter time blessing the
houses with holy water, while the
bishops go out in soleumn procession to
bless the baptismal fonts.
One of the most interesting cere-
monies in connection with the celebra-
tioA Of Easter in Italy is the "scoppio
del carro'-literally, the explosion of
the cai-which takes place on the
square in front of the great Cathedral
Of Florence Easter Saturday Of every
year.
The ceremony is supposed to be in
some way connected with the carrying
of the holy fire from the Church Of the
Holy Apostles-one of the Oldest in the
citJ to the cathedral. The fire is pro-
ducea with the aid of flint ard steel,
the limits used for the purpose having
been brought from the holy sepu!cher
at Jerusalem during the crusades and
carefully preserved and used every
yeal for the same purpose. in the same
church, for upward of 500 years.
The original car for this ceremony
was furnished by a representative Of
the ancient Pazzi family, an early
brought from the holy sepulcher at
Jesusalem to Florence the holy fire
with which the lamps in the "duomo"
We're lighted and which burn %eternally
In the sanctuary. Previous to Easter
the great c"mbrous car framed with
heavy timbers and mounted on four
low massive wheels, which is kept in a
three-story building in the Via del
Prato, purchased by the city for, the
purpose--and in which all the floors
have been removed and the entire front
connected into a huge doorway-is re-
decorated for the occasion INC covered
with ~festoons Of fireworks-sauibs,
crackers, Roman candles, etc, in red,
white and greenland in it's festive ar
ray makes quite an imposing appear
ance. In reality, however, it is a per-
feet piece of patchwork, each succeed
ing years ceremony resulting in it's
partial destruction by fire and making
its more or less complete restoration
necessary.
Drawn by four stately white oxen,
kept for this sole purpose on the
municipal farm, with gilded horns and
crimson trauppings, and with attend
ants equally gorgeous of apparel, the
car moves ponderously from it's winter
quarters to its appointed station OPP
posite the great doors Of the cathedral.
which are thrown wide open. From
a stand erected in front of the high
altar 3 wire is stretched tightly to the !
car, and on this is mounted the dove"
-.tolumbina-a birdshaped wooden de-
vice, propelled by q concealed mech
anism.
After the completion of the cere-
monies connected with the lighting of
the Easter candle at the sacred fire. an
immense crowd being by this time as
sembled in the cathedral and or the
plaza, at about 1880 o'clock, the
Archbishop of Florence begins the
celebration of the mass, which is SO
timed that when the choir commences
to chant the Gloria in Excelsis Deo'
the great bell of the cathedral sounds
the first stroke of noon. This is the
signal for every bell in the many
churches in the city, silent under the
strictest injunction since the preceding
Thursday, to burst into sound, and
throughout the city there prevails an
indescribable clangor.
AS the first stroke of the cathedral
bell is heard a member of the POM
pieri, the city firemen, a detachment
Of whom has charge Of this part of the
ceremony as a p%recaution against ac-
cident, lights the fuse of the dove with
sacred fire from the altar and sets 1t
in motion. Trailing a kissing flame, It
glides along the wire down the aisle,
and if all goes well, plunges into the
waiting a and ignites the fireworks
with which it is bedecked. This mis-
sion accomplished, the love returns
over it's wire to the stand in front of
the altar,
In the meantime the crowds in the
cathedral and in the plaza have been
eagerly watching the flight Of the dove
to the car and its return. II it travels
straight and without interruption to
its goal, successfully accomplishes its
purpose and returns without hitch or
delay to its station, all is well-a good
bountiful crops and good fortune
for h community are confidently an
ticipated. If. as sometimes happens:
something goes wrong with the fiery
bird, h fireworks fail to ignite free
~, or some other misfortune attends
flight, woe and trouble
are looked for during the following
~ months and the unfortunate con-
of the device is not only exc
Grated by the populace, but his pay is
withheld by the municipal authorities
-AE