Our War with Spain for Cuba's FreedomWhite, Trumbull
History
Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom
White, Trumbull
Cuba -- History; Spain -- Foreign relations -- United States; Spanish-American War, 1898; United States -- Foreign relations -- Spain
The finest horses raised in Cuba come from Puerto Principe, and
magnificent specimens of the noble animal they are. They are noted
for their powers of endurance, and can journey day after day,
covering sixty to seventy miles, at an easy gait, without showing
signs of fatigue. As horses were unknown to the original
inhabitants of the island, it is supposed that the Cuban horse of
to-day comes from Spanish stock, and the fact that it differs so
greatly from those animals, both in appearance and quality, is
explained by the changed climatic conditions in its breeding.
Whatever its origin may be, it is certain that there are no finer
specimens of horse flesh than are to be found in Cuba, and the
natives take great care of them, almost regarding them as
belonging to the family. Like the Irishman who "kept his pig in
the parlor," the Cuban often stables his horse in a room of his
house.
PECULIAR FUNERAL CEREMONIES.
One of the strangest customs that is likely to be observed by the
tourist in the interior sections, is the ceremony attendant on the
burial of the dead. First come small boys, with white linen gowns
over their clothes, short enough to display their ragged trousers
and dirty shoes. A boy in the center bears a tall pole, upon the
top of which is a silver cross, partially draped, while each of
the other boys carries a tall candlestick.
Behind them comes the priest, in shabby attire, in one hand his
prayer book, from which he is chanting from time to time, while in
the other hand, the sun being hot, he carries an umbrella.
Following him, a venerable old man comes tottering along,
personating the acolyth, the bell-ringer, the sacristan, or other
church dignitary, as may be necessary, croning out in his dreary
voice, as he swings the burning censor, the second to the chants
of the priest. The coffin then makes its appearance, made of rough
boards, but covered with black paper muslin, and borne upon the
shoulders of four villagers, a crowd of whom, all uncovered, bring
up the rear.
Here, as in all other Catholic countries, the spectators uncover
their heads at the passing of a funeral cortege. At the church are
ceremonies of reading prayers, burning candles, and sprinkling the
coffin with holy water, after which the priest goes his way, and
the procession takes up its line of march for the newly-made
grave, in the dilapidated and neglected cemetery, where the coffin
is deposited without further ceremony. No females are present
during the whole affair.
A family in mourning in Cuba, not only dress in dark clothes, upon
which there is no luster, but they keep the windows of the house
shut for six months. In fact, by an ordinance of the government,
it is now prohibited to display the corpse to the public through
the open windows, as was formerly done, both windows and doors
being now required to be shut.
AN HOSPITABLE PEOPLE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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