Show pat fat thursday Th in italy of all the quaint and curious holiday times of the children of all countries there Is none more punctiliously kept to this day than the fat thursday of lent in italy on Gi oveda grasso or flat fat thursday which occurs in the middle of the lenten season the young people peaple burn the old woman this la Is the way it is done as marietta ambrost ambrosi tells the story almost every house has a courtyard surrounded with balconies we tie a rope to each of these balconies and in the middle we hang the old woman sometimes she is accompanied by ner her old man to make up the old woman we take an old undershirt drawers and stockings we stuff these with rags paper and straw and with this stuffing we put lots of firecrackers we put on tor for her bead a grotesque mask a good wig made of fine paper or shavings then we dress her up with some old clothes and paper skirts her hands are made up with a pair of old gloves and on her feet she wears real boots she has a parasol in one hand in the other she holds a nice paper lace handkerchief and a good poke bonnet is on an her head then we place all the rest of the fireworks on her parasol and a round around her petticoats we let her hang there all day for the children to come and see her and meantime we go around to the courtyards to see the the I 1 others I 1 we all arrange the time to fire each ld woman off so that we can all manage to go and see every one that night we are tree free to go into any courtyards As we meet around the fence a fellow puts a match to her and up she goes first in a little flame then a firecracker explodes now her hand that was holding the paper handkerchief goes oft off with a bang pretty soon one of her legs begins to tremble and a nd as you watch it it flies off with a kick her parasol was tied very well on her other arm am I 1 so it holds the longest and from that you see the fireworks start up after that we children start for the other places it is about midnight when we go home after that hour every kind of enjoyment must stop as lent begins again jenness miller monthly |