Show ON A I 1 1 5 1 1 aa n W mo M 1 0 R F a Y W W al p 4 ia A 1 4 aw N is yi 4 1 R t V mongolian lamas conducting ceremony with aid of prayer flaga prepared by the national 13 society 1 ty washington 1 0 01 0 r a HE religion of the lamaism Lamal sm a tura B debased form of col JL ors all life in blon mongolia golla its rites seem strange westerner fanatical devotees may ba met performing tile the 41 falling wor worship eipl that la Is to say any throwing themselves flat on their faces and marking tile places of their next prostration their foreheads tore forc lieada heads a very exhausting torin form of piety which soon wears out hands handa and clothes unless as genet generally ally hap pens wooden sandals are fitted to tc I 1 tile the hands builds and sheepskin pads to the knees even little lithe children may be seen turning prayer wheels filled with written prayers aters pr the idea being that any devout believer who turns the wheel acquires as much berlt by so doing as it f lie had repented all the prayers thus set in motion ono one of the mhd drea greatest test festivals of tho the lama church la Is the devil dance which takes place placa each spring and represents the cli chasing asing out of the spirit of evil the dance la is simply a series of of men and boys in nell costumes and fearsome animal ma masks aks accompanied by an impressive chano nut but a fare far more interesting survival c of f the primitive nature cult Is known as the midsummer festival Fest lyal it at r tracts crowds of pilgrims its tim tho richer and move morel prosperous arrive in camel carts with an impressive train of out outsiders outriders riders idd and tamp camp in the their ir orji own tents some families come in bullock wagons wit gons which with a few mats fixed over them make admirable shelters for their stay but by tar far the greatest number appear on horseback solitary or in companies me men m and women respectable characters and notorious thieves lamas and laymen dressed some wll well some poorly but nearly all gaudily la in yellow blue red or green As assemble at the tha sacred sacred mount on the day of the ceremony the tha monastery Is astir before dawn the monks of various grades assemble soon eoon after cockcrow gorgeous in purple hier hieratic atle gowns red waistcoats scarlet or golden togas the 1 I living iving buddha appears la in his fringed orange felt helmet the abbots in their tat fat lacquer hats the lesser lamas in silk or gold brocade skull caps the lay officials in tile the 0 old id manchu hats fiats topped with colored buttons to denote their rank v the whole company rides out of the monastery gate on ponies well groomed for the occasion and crosses the steppe to the abd or sacred mount such elevations crowned by piles of stones with a flagstaff and fluttering prayer banners in the center are landmarks all oever ver mongolia having ascended therill the bill the priests gather round tile the stone calm which has been previously decorated with leaves and branches A tent asset Is set up near by for the buddha 11 the tha high lamas and the civil officials lesser dignitaries squat upon the tha ground in a circle then the weird service begins accompanied compa nied by all the strange para phernella phero pher alla nalla of the lama cult huge bronze trumpets six feet long lutea flutes male made from sea shells sli ells and libation cups from human skulls skull sf hy by this time a group of white tents has been erected in the meadow tor for the feast the largest serves as a reception hall inside a big transversal ench bench has beer been prepared tor for the guests of honor whose places are marked by double cushions covered with priceless old silk carpets from th p tre treasury of the monastery two choirs of sin singers gerg in bright robes kneel oneather on either elther side of the broad entrance enta ance and chant a welcome kloon boon the feast east nguu A cup cap made of the precious lIz lizaola cabla wood which will make water boll and limas haa tha power to detect poison Is placed before each distinguished visitor timit smaller cups for ue the and kou miss liquors made from fermented milk the principal meat dish li Is mutton motion sheep iro are served whole on largo t iho he four legs arrange arranged aro around didd the rump tho the on top As a kneeling attendant passes each dish to a guest the thelama lama host wakes a cross on the skull which chichis chIs li then taken away A second serving larna acting OB as hutler butler tor for tho occasion caston then cuts cuta up the went meat the rumpa tand land tails tire aro given to those whom tho the monks especially delight to honors after the feast there la Is a wrestling match dressed tn in a costume with stilt stiff vest and short skirt not unlike the garb of a roman soldier two champion champi ond face each other in 16 the tho ceni cen ier ter ot of an on open P en space one la is obviously a h or an to ludge judge by his bowed legs ills his length ot of arm and breadth of chest show him to be a redoubtable opponent the adversary la Is a g agan tic lama belonging to the 11 tsang community of the living buddha of the neighborhood three rounds co constitute tho the match and according to tho the rules neither wrestler way may grip the other either but each must try to throw ills his opponent by laying hold of ill bis a belt I 1 W the first bout la iii adjudged to io the lama amid great anth enthusiasms enthusiasm U i 1 the sec f ond goes to the horseman lots eman and tits the third which the crowd watches watch esAn in a fever of excitement ts Is also donby won by him after a hard st struggle 4 A then the proud champion 1 much uch cheered rises to ills his full height ei expands hla his mighty chest and approaches pro proa aches clies the entrance tp to the grandstand tent lit in big jumps as etiquette requires hero here he kneels before the lama who distributes the A part apart front from the amuse amusements wertie thera 1 1 la Is also ranch much visiting done at these fairs which afford almost tho the only oali opportunities that neighbors who llva lima miles apart have of 0 becoming acquainted quain ted with one another this athla applies especially to tho womenfolk whose lives of household drudgery are dull and lonely while the tha men are away ou od the steppes rounding up the herds how the tha people are ara attired the festivals ilso also ifford them et a cc coveted feted opportunity to sho show off their finery the dress of both pesea to la much alike as far as shape ilisie iscon is lar concerned tho the main differ difference ence Is that the men gird themselves with a belt while the women momen allow long garments to hang fiang loose from shoulder to heel hence tile the comchoc word for wo woman eilif ta in mongol Is belt less the roha robe of both sexes la Is a wide roomy coat which re reaches itches to tho the ground with sleeves so ample that the arms can be withdrawn from them and reintroduced without touching the buttons but the most remarkable features of mongol costumes ore are the hair bair ornaments sand and he addresses of aho women liven a poor girt girl once she marries wears weara a profusion of silver ornaments on her head the precise ua nature and shape of those aliese varies with che tribes one at least has fias a most ludicrous coiffure tor for its matrons matrona mat rons which projects ejects io so high that the cap imperatively demanded by etiquette la is tied on above aboe the ornaments quite clear of the head others adopt curtains curt alno ot OJ red corals corald or turquoise or strings ot of pearls reaching often to the waist when the bearers wearers take their stand together in the veranda of some bom temple tin effect la Is striking at the clo cloe of the festival which may last two or three days the crowds depart to their homes hundreds of miles distant |