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Show DANCE IN CHURCH CURIOU3 8URVIVAL OF CUSTOM OF THE MIDDLE AQES. Cathedral at Seville, 8paln, the Scene of Remarkable Ceremonial of Which the Origin Is Lost In Antiquity. Not ono ot tho many rollcs of the middle ages, with which Spatn still abounds, Is more curious than tho dancing before the altar which takes place every evening during the octaves oc-taves of the Immaculato Conception (December 8 to 15) and Corpus Domini Dom-ini (threo days after Asconslon day) In the cathedral of Sovlllo. This church Is tho largest Oothlo cathedral In tho world. It Is lit by no fewer than 83 windows and Is a vorltablo museum of art, but tho crowning glory of this venernblo pile Is Its fifteenth and sixteenth contury Btnlned glass, the designing ot which Is upon doubtful apthortty ascribed to Raphael, Titian and Michael An-gelo. An-gelo. It Is within this wonderful edifice, edi-fice, says tho Pall Mall Gazotto, that takes placo tho most quaint rltunl of all Christendom. The dance Is porformed by two rows of choristers or seises, numbering 10 or 12 (formorly It was six), wearing plumed hats and dressed as pages of tho tlmo of Philip III.; tho colors of tho clothes vary; for tho octavo oc-tavo of Corpus Domini thoy aro rod and white, whllo bluo and Whlto are worn during the Immaculato Conception. Concep-tion. To tho slow music of violins this dance (which Is a sort ot minuet) Is solemnly porformod, devoid of all lr-reverence lr-reverence and levity. At tho December festival tho vast church Is In darkness, savo for tho lights of the high altar, and the effect ef-fect Is most Impressive The chants which the choristers break out Into morely add to the solemnity ot the occasion, oc-casion, which Is not In the least degree de-gree lessened by tho sound. of tho castanets cas-tanets tho seises play. Thero aro two sets of music, and thoy are uboJ upon alternate evenings, the sale of which Is Jealously guarded against by the chapter. A legend says this singular ritual originated at tho tlmo ot the slego or Seville by somo boys going out to Al-cala, Al-cala, whoro thoy danced before the Moorish army, which they so delighted delight-ed that they wero able to detain them whllo tho Spaniards manned the walla; but really the origin of this "dancing" Is qutto obscure. Another Interesting legend relates that a certain archbishop of Sovlllo about 200 years ago wished to suppress sup-press this ritual, but tho citizens, together to-gether with tho canons, gavo such opposition op-position that there was quite a tumult, tu-mult, and the matter was referred to Rome. The pope of that tlmo wishing wish-ing to see the dance, tho choristers woro taken to tno Etornal City, whero they porformed before the head of Christendom, who morely laughed, but to pleaso tho archbishop and at tho same time to appease the canons he said tho dancing might contlnuo until thp clothes woro worn out; to avoid this tho dresses, which aro ot striped silk, have alwnys been partially restored re-stored at a time, and now they bid fair to last forever. The other legends are connected with the Jews or Toledo, who formod the only community ot medieval Europe that was not confined to a Ghetto, with all Its persecuting regulations. regu-lations. One or the reasons given for this la that at the time of the crucifixion, cruci-fixion, or a little before, the Sanhe-drln Sanhe-drln of Jerusalem sont around to all the Jewish colonies asking whether or not the Christ wns the long expected expect-ed Messiah, and the Jews ot this city were the only ones who returned an affirmative answer, for which thoy received re-ceived their freedom. Another legend says the cause of this singular circumstance was that when the Christians endeavored to confine these Jews to a Ohetto the latter lat-ter proved that betore the crucifixion their ancestors were living in Toledo and so they woro guiltloss or that crime. |