Show solemn scenes of easter week at jerusalem the arab festival which comes during the christian easter week Is known as musa arable arabic for or prophet moses it Is of comparatively recent origin and in reality Is a political rather than a religious festival started by the sultan saladin about the time of the crusades because lie felt that too many christians christiana were coming to jerusalem for easter who might outnumber tile the moslems he instituted this festival to coincide with the orthodox raster baster which would bring a host of moslems into jerusalem tile the arabs pouring into jerusalem for the musa alusa festival present a kaleidoscope of color that Is quite dazzling the bedonia women in their red and yellow coarsely embroidered finery are particularly striking the large body of arabs make their way around the outside of the city walls dancing and whining a weird chant accompanied by the beating of torn toms and clapping of hands in a measured beat their leader performing gyrations with a lie huge curved sword the banners carried in the procession are blessed and brought from mecca each year and they are blessed again by the mufti on the top of the mount of olives after which the parade moves on the lutes flutes break into a melancholy walling this time and the dancing dervishes revolve and revolve their skirts opening out like an umbrella this performance takes place at frequent intervals and lasts about 20 minutes jud and the dancers look like spinning tops as they whirl around until some of them foam at the mouth the whole pilgrimage Is made on toot foot and lasts about about three days during which time they do not partake of food when jericho Is reached they the blessed banners on the supposed grave of moses in spite of the filet fart that the exact whereabouts of tile the burin burial place of moses Is distinctly disclaimed in the bible deul chap 34 T v 0 and ho he burled buried him in ID a valley in the land of moab over against beth poor peor but no man of his sepulcher unto this day beginning easter week the first day of paschal or easter week for the christian starts with palm sunday at cock crow all night long the weary pilgrims have walked up and down the courtyard of the church of the holy sepulcher and over the rough cobblestones of the narrow streets in jerusalem while tile the clanging of the great bell on tile the church continues until daybreak but in the words of the psalmist weeping way may endure for a night joy cometh in the morning when the sun comes up oer the mountains the people weary and worn with vigils and fa stings march slowly into file lie church and acter special prayers many are overcome with emotion and with hearts ready to break and with weeping eyes they sob out ive seen the holy of holies tor for they believe their own hands have touched the very place where for three days the master blaster lay in the flesh services at the church of the holy sepulcher ee last until noon hour when the people hurry burry home to their humble lodgings to eat only such buell food as the restrictions of lent permit on the mount of olives olive at the seventh hour the clergy with raen men women and children following climb the mount of olives along paths pallia bordered by an emones end and shadowed by silvery olive trees until they reach the file summit and for two awu hours hymns are sung cung and chanted cli anted after which the people proceed to the stone atone of f ascension trow which place it Is if believed the christ ans seen to have risen old and young alike then take a squatting position in the grass crass and the children with branches of olive trees and palms waving gently ln in rhythmic motion sing blessed Is ile he that cometh in the name of the j lord the clergy give the signal that the lie ceremony Is over and the people rise and slowly follow gently y singing and chanting as they escort tile the priests in the descent from the mount they take the rond road which leads to the church t f the holy eer and when they reach there they ond find the lie sides of the quadrangle quad ransle court bek fore the place lined with vend benders venders rs and fakirs fakiri selling sticky sweets all kandi of relies relics holy pictures brilliant colored glass bracelets mother of pearl crosses from bethlehem and other small ornaments made of olive wood from jerusalem symbolic picture I 1 during the night before the crowd begins to assemble a platform upon which ure are two benches Is placed in the courtyard on each bench Is a row of six cushioned seats on a dais gained by a step and carpeted in red and gold stands a glit gilt throne in front of which are placed a great ewer a gold tray and a very large white towel against the wall of the court near the platform there Is a flight of wooden steps painted gre green graenz enZ which lend to a small pulpit in the center of the pulpit Is a picture of jesus washing the feet of the 12 apostles uy by morning the pavements are echo in ins with ceaselessly tramping feet and ev everyone and everything has the ap pear atice of the great festive occasion that Is about to take place at nine comes a crash of bells and fairly blazing with jewels the greek patriarch emerges from the church attended by his bishops and priests the procession ascends the dais and in a loud voice a high official reads from the gospel of st john the account of jesus washing uis llis disciples feet that night the way to the garden of gethsemane Is lighted with candles candies and the people pass along the dif different Terent stages of the cross until thap th garden Is reached |