The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-11

Royal Elephant.
ing companions come into view. Then
the first of the frantic dancers
weayes in and out, with rhythmic
STEP to the beat of drums and clash
of the braZen cymbalS.
1t requires three-quarters of an
hour for the richly caparisOned ell
ephants, the glittering groups of
dancers and dignified chiefs In gOr-
geOus robes to pass In front of a
reviewing stand.
Scenes of Wild Excitement.
Every now and then the process
sion stops. At such times the music
becomes faster and faster. Drum
mers, beating madly, leap into the
air and pirouet In a frenzy Of ex-
citement. Trumpeters blow shrilly,
adding to the ear-splltting din. Tire
lessly whirl the dancers, stamping
their feet, waving their arms, ad-
vancing and retiring, as they spin
to the strengthening rhythm. Rare
ly, even in the East, does one see
such utter emotional abandon to the
accompaniment of such clamor
The partipants in the ceremony
cover many miles in their gyrations
during the course of the Perahera,
and at the end are In state of COM
plete exhaustion. There are no
women dancers.
To convey some conception of the
brilliant colors of this kaleidoscope
of swaying elephants and wild
dancers requires the services Of an
artist rather than a writer. A par
ticularly large and specially be-
decked elephant, with gold and sill
yer howdah, not disdaining the use
Of science in it's decorations, has
bright electric eye in the center
of his forehead Another in cloth
of royal blue, heavily embroidered
with silver, carries on his back
kings ransom in jewelry.
There was a time when the king
of Randy took part in the an
nual professions. Surrounded by his
chiefs in resplendent costumes. it is
easy to imagine his procession
through excited thrOngs of loyal SUBJ
jects. Today the king Is gone, but
the chiefs remain to carry on the
tradition. Perhaps some Of the
chiefs would gladly discontinue the
practice of appearing in the process
sions, but the simple countryman ex-
poets to see his lord In all the glory
of jewels and cloth Of gold.
Night Ceremony Is Weird.
But it is at night that the Pera-
hera takes on all the glamour and
weirdness of oriental pageantry.
A beautiful, clear night, with
full moon and myriads of stars over
head, makes a perfect setting for
the flowing stream of lights and gy-
rating human beings. Smoking CEN
sers swing from hand to hand and
braziers, in which glow husks Of
burning coconuts, are held aloft by
hundreds of tOrch-bearers to aug
ment the street lamps in casting
fairylike spell over the scintillating
costumes and shining brown bodies
of the marchers.
The cocOnut huSks burn with
ftful yellow-red light and emit
acrid fumes, too pungent for ocCi-
dental tastes, but they have illu-
minated Perahera parades for CEN
turies and still serve that purpose
well. 1t Is an incOngruous sight,
amid such pomp and circumstance,
to observe quantities of coconut
husks being rushed along in mod
ern jinrikishas to keep the braziers
supplied with fuel.
At the end of the procession come
the water-carriers bearing palan-
quins of sacred water taken the
year before from the Mahawell
Ganga, one of CeylOn's largest
rivers, which flows through Handy.
This ceremony of the 'water-cut-
ting" when temple priests slash the
surface with their swords and at
tendants scoop up the water in gold
en- pitchers, is the closing event Of
the Perahera.
Behind the palanquins press
masses of humanity, which stretch
as far as the eye can reach, COM
pletely filling the streets. Orderly,
patient and cheerful is this vast
multitude, as it beholds the final
ritual.