Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/212

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192 BACCARA BACCHANALIA male. From these horn-like tusks, and its comparative lightness of appearance, it de- rives its Malay name, which signifies the "hog- deer." It is quite as fierce as the wild boar, and an excellent swimmer, often taking to the water for mere pleasure. BACCARA, or Baccarat, a French game of cards, said to have been first introduced into France from Italy at the time of the wars of Charles VIII. Any number of players may partici- pate, and as many packs of cards may be used as necessary. The face cards each count ten, and the others according to the number of their spots. After the bets have been made the banker deals two cards to each of the players, including himself. The aim is to make the numbers 9, 19, 29, or as nearly those as possi- ble, as 8, 18, 28; and any player is at liberty either to " stand " or be " content " with the two cards first dealt, or to call for more at the risk of exceeding 29, when his stake is forfeited to the dealer. If, after the first distribution of two cards to each, any player has a "natural," that is, a sum making 9, or next in value 19, he declares it wins, and the banker pays all who hold superior hands to his own, and claims from those holding infe- rior. This game has be- come common in Amer- ica, where it is played in a slightly different manner, the face cards and tens counting noth- ing, and the " natu- rals" being the sums 9 and 8. BACCARAT, a town of France, in the depart- ment of Meurthe, 16 m. by railway S. E. of Luneville; pop. in 1866, 4,763. It is pic- turesquely situated at the foot of a steep moun- tain on the river Meurthe, and is celebrated for its flint-glass manufactory, which employs 1,100 hands, and produces over 3,000,000 francs' worth annually. The manufacture was greatly improved and cheapened by the invention of a bellows for shaping the glass by one of its work- men, Ismael Robinet, about 1823. BACCHANALIA, or IMonysla. the festivals of the Greek god Bacchus or Dionysus. The most important were held in Attica and Athens, and were four in number. 1. The country or lesser festival was held in all the country dis- tricts of Attica, under the superintendence of the demarchs or local magistrates, in the month Poseideon (December), when the vin- tage was just over. There was a tumultuous procession of men and women, some riding in a cart and casting scurrilous jests and abusive language at the bystanders, and some carrying the phallus, the emblem of the generative pow- er in nature. The phallic hymn was sung, old comedies and tragedies were enacted, the slaves had temporary liberty, large quantities of wine were drunk, and unbounded license pre- vailed. 2. The wine press festival, or Lenaia, was held in a suburb of Athens in the month Gamelion (January), when the wine was just made and the presses cleaned. This festival, which was celebrated in Asia Minor also, was at Athens under the superintendence of the king-archon, and the expenses were paid by the state. There was a public banquet, a pro- cession, and dramatic entertainments in which new comedies were represented. 3. The flower festival, or Anthesteria, was held at the same place as the Lensea, in the month Anthesterion (February), and lasted three days. On the first day the vintage was broached and tasted, and persons were initiated into the mysteries of Bacchus. On the second day there were games, and on the third flowers were offered to the god. During the festival the slaves were free, presents were sent to friends, and pupils paid their instructors. 4. The Bacchanalian Procession. town or great festival was held at Athens in the month Elaphebolion (March), when the city was filled with strangers from all Greece. The festival was celebrated in the most magnificent manner under the super- intendence of the chief archon, at the ex- pense of the state, and consisted of a ban- quet, a procession, and the acting of trage- dies. A prize was awarded for the best play, and, with exceptions in favor of yEschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, no play which had once won a prize could be repeated. All these festivals were seasons of riotous merriment and drunkenness. In the processions Bacchus himself was represented, attended by delirious women called Lena? or Bacchantes, who car- ried thyrsus staffs, cymbals, swords, or serpents, and, made furious by dithyrambic songs, fiutes, and wine, danced along in a state of frenzy. Men, covered with skins, masked, and painted to represent fauns and satyrs, accompanied them. The Romans celebrated the Bacchana- lia every third year ; but such excesses attend-