Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/293

Rh On another day, which came on the seventh Ahau, they celebrated a very grand festival, which continued for three days, with incense-burning, offerings, and a very respectable orgy; but as it was a movable feast the priest took care to publish it in advance, in order that each one might keep a fast according to his duty.

M.—The month Mac. On another day in the month of Mac, the old people, and especially the old men, celebrated a feast in honor of the Chacs, the gods of abundance, and also to Yzamna. Some days before, they performed the following ceremony, called in their language Tuppkak. Having gathered together all the animals, such as reptiles and beasts of the fields which they could find in the country, they assembled in the com-t of the temple, the Chacs, and the priests placing themselves in the corners in order to expel the evil spirit, according to the custom, each of them having beside him a pitcher filled with water, which was brought to him. Standing upright, in the center, was an enormous bundle of small dry wood, with which they kindled a fire after having thrown the incense into the brazier; while the wood was burning, they tore out, with emulation, the hearts of the animals and birds and cast them into the fire. If it had been impossible to obtain large animals, such as tigers, lions, and alligators, they represented the hearts of these by incense; but if they had them, they tore out their hearts also and put them in the fire. As soon as all the hearts were consumed, the Chacs extinguished the fire with the water in the pitcher.

The object of this sacrifice and of the feast following was, also, to obtain an abundance of water for their crops during the year. They celebrated this feast, however, in a different manner from the others; for in this they did not fast, with the exception of the beadle of the confraternity, who performed penance. On the day fixed upon for the celebration, all the people assembled with the priest and the officers in the court of the temple, where they had erected a stone platform, with steps for mounting, suitably ornamented with leaves. The priest gave the incense, previously prepared, to the beadle who burned in the brazier enough of it to dispel the evil spirit. This done, with the accustomed devotion, they smeared the first step of the platform with mire from a well or cistern, and the others