San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-21
FIESTA GROWS
FROMANC|ENT
INDIAN RITE
Red Men Gather in the
Spring to Make Human and
Flower Sacrifices.
MONKS FOUND CUSTOM
Modern Celebration Based
on Indians Thanksgiv-
ing for Spring.

With the entity of King Antonio
the Eighth into the city of San An
tonic at I:30 Monday evening. the
33rd annual Fiesta will begin. History
reveals that the flower carnival held
each spring in San Antonio is in real-'
ity the survival of an ancient savage
rite that was celebrated every spring
time in the wilderness that was Texas
before the white man came.
San Antonio's first Fiesta cele-
brated by residents of this city vas
held in 1871, in honor of President
Benjamin Harrison, WAC was making
tour of the Southwest at that time,
But the first flower festival recorded
in tradition goes back TO tims much
more remote than 1891, to days when
savage custom rather than civilized
methods ruled the inhabitants of
wild, unsettled country.
According TO existing tradition in
the unwritten history OF San Antonio.
the Franciscan monks found when
they came TO Texas that the savagcs
whom they had come to teach, were in
the habit of celebrating each spring
the departure Of winter, by staging a
fete that combined the beauty of wild
flowers and the horror of human
sacrifice in one grand, solemn celebra-
ton.
Gathered at San Jose.
As it was TO the Great Spirit that
the sayages offered their gifts of hui
man life and flowers, in Thanksgiving
for safe passage through winter for
ts.hf oh 81 Ia
pared. the monks finally through gem
tie influence and religious teaching
converted the savage orgy into an
Easter ceremony, when only the flow
crs and not the lives were offered on
the altar Of thanksgiving. 1t is said
that in the old mission San Jose,
which was the first chapel to be built
in this section of the Southwest, in
1IO1, that the Indians were first in
fluenced TO gather in the springtimc,
to offer prayers and flowers TO the
new Great Spirit of the padres, in
place of holding ceremonious rituals i'll
the deep shadows of untraveled woods.
As a result of the teaching of the
monks in those early times. Indians
of later years are said TO have abau-
doned their sacrificial ideas about
spring fiesta. They gathered wild flow
ers for days before the Indian
service. and trailed over flower-banked
paths from their tepees in the woods
to the missions, for the Easter bless
ing of the friars.
Flower Feie i'm 1891.
And in 1924, the spring flower fcte
of the city of San Antonio will be
held TO celebrate the safe passage of n
people through n period of subsection
to an alien land. Again the wild flow
ers and the flower-laden paths of old
will be used TO typify the joy OF
people, and the only difference be-
tween the old Fiesta and the new is
perhaps the fact that now the pro-
cessions will travel streets where prog
ress has left its mark, instead of wind
ing down lonely paths through VIII
derness, TO the adobe chapel of from
tier church.
In 1891. Mrs. James L. Slayden
suggested that flower fete should be
held TO celebrate the arrival of Presi-
dent Harrison. and the President was
welcomed with carnival of wild
flowers. According TO Mrs. Henry
Drought, historian OF the Battle of
Flowers Association. Mrs. II. ID.
kampmann was the first president of |
that organization.
Miss Ida Archer of Austin. was the !
first queen of the San Antonio Fiesta.
in 1896. At this time. the spring car
nival was called the Flower Battle" |
Members who were active i'm the first !
Fiestas were: Mrs. III. =. Drought.
Mrs. j. ii. McLeary, Mrs. w. Il. |
Wright. Mrs. Z. w. Ogden. Mrs. w. |
W. King. Mrs. Sam Johnson. Mrs. A. |
]. Fry. Mrs. John ]. Stevens. Mrs. |
Herff and Mrs. Slayden. be- |
sides many other pioneer residents of |
San Antonio.
Little ceremony marked the first |
FIstas. and the queens were crowned |
On temporary platforms erected each |
year on Alamo plaza. In 1906, the Or |
Ter of the Alamo was organized. and |
N that year Miss Ada Kampmann was |
with more elaborate ccre-
mony in Beethoven hall The hall was !
used for the coronation for several |
years. but in 1919 the place was
changed to the Majestic theater.
There have been % queens crowned |
in as many official Fiestas. There |
,ceulS 10 HlNt DStii a. idliSt 81 StNtib !
years following Miss Archer's corona
ton in 1896, before the second queen
was crowned. In 1918 and 1919 there
we're no Ficstas. on account of the
World War. In 1919 the annual cele-
ration was replaced with campaign
o raise funds for the relief Of wound
d soldiers. and the only ceremony
leld this time was the dedication of a
lower-banked mound and marble
lab to the boys who had gone beyond
n service overseas.
The definite reason for cPlebrs-
ion in San Antonio each spring is
he occasion of the recurrence Of San
,acinto day, when Texans are remind
d that on April II, in 1886. Santa
Anna the Dictator was conquered ny
he courage of a little patriot army.