Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South AmericaRay, George Whitfield
Religion
Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America
Ray, George Whitfield
Ray, George Whitfield, 1868- -- Travel -- South America; South America -- Description and travel
Wakes for the dead are always held, and in the case of a child the
little one lies in state adorned with gilded wings and tinselled
finery. All in the neighborhood are invited to the dance which takes
place that evening around the corpse. At a funeral the Paî walks first,
followed by a crowd of men, women and children bearing candles, some of
which are four and five feet long. The dead are carried through the
streets in a very shallow coffin, and the head is much elevated. An old
woman generally walks by the side, bearing the coffin lid on her head.
The dead are always buried respectfully, for an old law reads: "No
person shall ride in the dead cart except the corpse that is carried,
and, therefore, nobody shall get up and ride behind. It is against
Christian piety to bury people with irreverent actions, or drag them in
hides, or throw them into the grave without consideration, or in a
position contrary to the practice of the Church."
All Saints Day is a special time for releasing departed ones out of
purgatory. Hundreds of people visit the cemeteries then, and pay the
waiting priests so much a prayer, If that "liberator of souls" sings
the prayer the price is doubled, but it is considered doubly
efficacious.
A good feature of Romanism in Paraguay is that the people have been
taught something of Christ, but there seems to be an utter want of
reverence toward His person, for one may see a red flag on the public
streets announcing that there are the "Auction Rooms of the child God."
In his "Letters on Paraguay," Robertson relates the following graphic
account of the celebration of His death: "I found great preparations
making at the cathedral for the sermon of 'the agony on the cross.' A
wooden figure of our Saviour crucified was affixed against the wall,
opposite the pulpit; a large bier was placed in the centre of the
cathedral, and the great altar at the eastern extremity was hung with
black; while around were disposed lighted candles and other insignia of
a great funeral. When the sermon commenced, the cathedral was crowded
to suffocation, a great proportion of the audience being females. The
discourse was interrupted alternately by the low moans and sobbings of
the congregation. These became more audible as the preacher warmed with
his discourse, which was partly addressed to his auditory and partly to
the figure before him; and when at length he exclaimed, 'Behold!
Behold! He gives up the ghost!' the head of the figure was slowly
depressed by a spring towards the breast, and one simultaneous
shriek--loud, piercing, almost appalling--was uttered by the whole
congregation. The women now all struggled for a superiority in giving
unbounded vent to apparently the most distracting grief. Some raved
like maniacs, others beat their breasts and tore their hair.
Exclamations, cries, sobs and shrieks mingled, and united in forming
one mighty tide of clamor, uproar, noise and confusion. In the midst of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account