The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-04-02
NOW
Havana Churches
Found Rich
IN BEAUTY
BY HELEN ESSARY

Holy Thursday in Havana is q
day of beautiful religious cere-
mony. All the shops except the
American ten-cent store are closed
at noon. The streets and houses
are deserted by the natives. Only
Americans wander about in the
shade of the trees in the squares
and along the pavements Of the
sidewalk galleries.
The Cubans are on their way to
church. To many churches. For
1t is the custom here on Holy
Thursday for every Catholic to go
to early mass, to visit at least five
churches in the afternoon. To eat
but one full meal all day, to alb
stain from all drink between meal
times and to take no Intoxicating
liquors until Saturday noon when
Lent is officially over.
Today, with Mr.. Walter j. Don
nelly, commercial attache of the
American Embassy, and his hand
some Colombian wife, I made a
pilgrimage to seven churches.
The formal beginning of the
Havana pilgrimages is at noon.
When we arrived at about 3
O'Clock, at FL Angel, the first church
on our Lenten way, the streets
roundabout were damned with
people. Policemen were Strug.
Cling to keep the traffic moving.
Traffic is negligible difficulty
in Havana. The thoroughfares
are twice as broad as Pennsylva-
MIA Avenue. Few people have
cars.
But outside Ell Angel and the
other churches we were about to
visit cars came and went as fast
as space could be made in front
of church doors.
Most of the worshipers did not
come in cars. They arrived on
foot, walking many miles during
the hot afternoon as they went
from one part of town to another.
Inside the church. which we
reached by carefully edging our
way through the great crowd,
hundreds knelt in the aisles, IN
pews and on the marble floors.
Their faces were turned devoutly
to the altar, blazing with candles
and banked with white flowers.
they were murmuring prayers.
The crowd was from all classes
in Havana. It was Cuba itself,
rich and poor, carefully dressed
and turned out for the fete. day.
There were SpaniardS, patrician
and a. little aloof, CubanS ana
many negroes with light, dark
and medium colored skins. PEG
nle of many ages-children babies
in arms and feeble old men and
women, youth for whom the
great adventure Of life was ABOUT
to begin; and disilluSioned middle
age.
Some Of the women, beautiful
Spanish looking creatures, were
dressed for the pilgrimage &C
cording to the tradition OF their
erandmotherS. They wore black
silk dresses with touches Of lace
and cut low at the neck. on
their sleek black heads were high
shell combs covered with mantll.
las of fine black lace that fell
down the shoulders to the waist
and sometimes almost to the feet.
They were picturesque, lovely
and very feminine, doing honor
to their faith by looking their
most charming selves.
Many of the other women
threw thin black lace wells over
their heads. No woman may
enter q Catholic Church any.
where with head uncovered. Old
negro women in white, pink and
blue cotton had colored scarfs
over their grizzled hair. Some
of the little girls wore bright
ribbons arranged like caps.
The Spanish Cathedral was our
second stopping place. This
thrilling old church, where the
ashes Of Christopher Columbus
Law between 1871 and 1893, is a
relic Of the early Spanish con-
ouerors. It is on a famous square
in the old part Of Havana. It
has the beauty and simplicity OF
all ancient churches. But its
rarest treasures are pieces OF in
credibly beautiful Spanish silver.
These salvers and ornaments are
used instead of flowers on the
affairs on feast days.
AS we walked down q narrow
street leading from the Cathedral.
we passed a fine building-the
Academy Of Science, begun In
1907. Notice the date-it is the
year John Smith set sail for Vir-
ginia. The Academy was re.
stored by Gen. Leonard Wood,
who, many people think, saved
Cuba. Or rather made it.
At San Francisco, another old
church, we stopped a few min
utes. MarvelouSly concealed and
at the same time revealed among
flowers and candles on its center
altar was a replica in color Of
1.-THE Last Supper" The heads
of the apostles were almost life
size. The effect of a table spread
with q fine cloth was exquisitely
given.
Santa Espirita also had fash.
toned q ''LaSt Supper"
At La MERGED, the fashionable
church for weddings, candles and