swung from the ceiling, and on Christmas eve is baptized, the godfather and godmother being selected from the company.
This pastoral is much in use on the Rio Grande frontier, where there is a dearth of amusement, and generally among the plainer population. When practiced by the wealthy, it is enlarged upon until it assumes grand proportions. The pastorela begins sometimes a week or more before Christmas.
The Feast of the Epiphany, known in Mexico as the Fiesta de los Tres Reyes (Feast of the Three Kings), which comes on the 6th of January, has connected with it an interesting social event. This is known as the Bailé de los Compadres. It is not so commonly observed now as formerly, but is none the less interesting.
A coffee cake is made, in which is placed a bean, and at the dinner which follows mass on that day this cake is placed under a napkin and then cut by some one of the guests. The one who gets the bean is known as king; if a woman, queen. If the former, he drops the bean into the glass of the lady whom he selects as queen. If a lady gets the bean, the same process is gone through, with the difference of sex in the selection. They embrace à la Mexicano, becoming at once compadres. The king makes the queen a present, and must also give a ball within the month of January.
At the ball the names of all the ladies are put into a hat and the gentlemen draw. The lady whose name the gentleman draws becomes his compadre for the evening, and much merriment follows.
El Candelario, or the feast of Candlemas, comes on the 2d of February. It commemorates the purification of the Virgin, and is the occasion on which the candles are blessed and consecrated, to be used the ensuing year, in extreme illness, death, earthquakes, and thunder-storms.
The day is celebrated at Tacubaya in a novel way. The streets are filled with gambling booths, where all kinds of games of hazard are played by the common people; not only by the men, but women also of every age yield to this fascinating pastime.
On the 5th of February the Church celebrates the death of
