The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-29
EASTER FESTIVE
IN HISTORIC
FLORENCE
Explosion of Car, One Fea-
ture, Recalls Adventures OF
Hero in Crusades.

FLORENCE. Italy, March 2S.--
The hotels of "the city on the
Arno" are filled today with strang
ers representative of the whole of
Christendom, but chiefly from
America and England, who are here
for Holy Week and the quaint cere-
monies which still prevail. after
many centuries.
Spring is beginning to break
through, though there is a decided
chill in the atmosphere. Fresh cut
flowers are for sale on every corner
Florence, always rich in artistic and
historical tradition, is especially in
teresting to visitors at this season.
stilled sharply at noon today, to
maintain their unbroken silence
over tomorrow, Good Friday, and
until the stroke of noon on Holy
Saturday, March 81, when they will
break out in swelling peals Of glad
neSs-Lent is ended and Easter Is
come!
The "scoppio del Caro-" explosion
Of the carl ceremonial on Holy Sat
urday is unique in the extreme.
Follows Old Tradition.
It's origin goes back to the time
OF athe Crusades, when one OF the
Florentines, Pazzino del Pazzi. of d
noble family, was the first man to
leap upon the wall of Jerusalem ana
plant there the Christian standard.
So great was his grief at seeing
the Holy Sepulchre in the hands of
the Turks that he had wild ideas OF
rescuing 1t bodily and bringing 1t
hack to his beloved Florence, but,
that being quite impossible, he man
aged by a stealthy blow to knock
off a piece of the stone which COM
posed the tomb.
The unfortunate guardian OF the
Sepulchre was put to death, but
Pazzino, by having his horses shoes
put on backwards, made his escape,
and the piece Of sacred stone reached
Florence in safety, and was deposit
ed at last in the Church of the Holy.
Apostles. The city made 1t the &C.
casion of a solemn feast.
The stone served, too, as a flint
on which to light the fire OF
Holy Saturday, and the city au-
thoritfes ordered a car to be made
in commemoration OF the event.
It was decorated and bore a fitting
inscription, and was ordained to be
drawn by oxen, and to be covered
with bombs and other explosives, to
be lighted by means of a dove on
this last day of Lent.
Is Cherished Ceremony.
Several times it has been limited
that this old custom was becoming
out Of date and that it might be
given up, but what Florentine
would hear of that? The ceremony
is the most. important Of all things
to the peasants, who come from
miles around, all interested to see
how the affair goes off, for, as
many of them still believe, the
years crops win be good or bad,
according as the dove flies.
So on the Saturday morning, as
the hour of noon approaches, the
space around the great Duomo, the
Cathedral of Florence, fills with
rapidly increasing crowd. Chairs
are available IL one wishes to rent
one on which to stand, and every
window and roof is filled with
spectators.
Inside the Duomo there is hardly
room to squeeze through the crowd,
the only vacant space being that
which is marked off. leading d.
rectly from the altar to the door
and along which is stretched a
wire. 1t is along this that the 90
called dove must fly.
Meanwhile the car, a huge brown
structure of wood, chocolate colored
and decorated, is drawn by the
beautiful white oxen, who pass
their lives in the park of Florence,