special grand festivals. The
Jaro church has a wax figure of the Savior and this figure is dressed
for various festivals in various ways; sometimes in evening dress,
with white shirt, diamond stud, rings on the fingers, patent leather
shoes, and a derby hat. This figure was placed on a large platform
and either carried on the shoulders of men or put on a wagon and drawn
by men. Once I saw the cart pushed along by a bull at the rear. This
procession would form at the Cathedral door, march around the square
and then usually go three or four blocks down toward the house where
the priest lived, and by that time it would be very nearly dark and
they would light their candles and return and go about the square
again before going into the Cathedral.

Sometimes the figure was dressed in royal robes with long purple
mantle and gilded crown upon the head; on Good Friday it lay in a
white shroud as if in death; on Easter day it was arrayed in flowing
white robes and was brought from the cemetery into town and borne at
the head of a great parade. Those who could afford to do so would set
up a special shrine in front of their homes, adorned with flowers and
household images. The priest would, as a special favor, have special
services before these shrines, and the more money spent on these
shrines and the more paid to the priest the more distinguished the
citizen. For days before the natives were busy making long candles
out of carabao tallow. Some of these candles, huge and crude, would
weigh four or five pounds. None of the so-called common people or
the poor class would take part in any of these wonderful parades
unless they were able to wear good clothes and have long trains to
their dresses. I never saw any one in these processions who was at
all poor; the poor simply stand by the roadside and look on. I asked
my Filipino woman why she did not join; she said she would just as
soon as she could get a dress with a train. It was not many weeks
before she was in the procession, having earned the train by laundry
work for the officers and soldiers. For the men, it was their joy to
be able to purchase a derby hat. I never knew there could be so many
kinds of derbies as I saw on the heads of these natives. It was said
that a ship-load of them was brought over once, and they so charmed
the male population that from that time on they all aspired to own
a derby, no matter how ancient its appearance or of what color it
might be. And no m