Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 5 1887.djvu/306

298 Giralda," after the name of the Moorish tower of the cathedral. These men were all attired alike in black velvet suits, with knee-breeches, black stockings, and shoes with silver buckles. They wore wide-brimmed, black velvet hats, turned up at one side, and trimmed with one large white ostrich feather; a short black velvet cloak hung jauntily on one shoulder, and completed their costume. Their musical instruments were tambourines, guitars, a kind of musical glasses, and the triangle. They began by giving some instrumental pieces in concert; then one man took the solo part of a song, the rest joining in chorus, after which they all ranged themselves at the bottom of a long and narrow room. Two of their number then removed their hats, and taking up their tambourines, which were small,—not more perhaps than eight inches in diameter—they danced up to the top of the room, which was seventy to eighty feet long: the rest remained stationary, and accompanied the dancers with their different instruments. The dancers exhibited great agility and skill; their movements were identical with those of the Burmese dancers; they used their tambourines precisely as the latter used their cymbals; the Spaniards stooped down to the ground and leapt up in the air, passing the tambourines over their shoulders, and between their legs, displaying marvellous grace in every movement.

In the amusements of the people who inhabit the Basque provinces in the north of Spain we can trace a resemblance to the dances of the people of Ladakh (a race who in language and religion belong to Central Asia), and to one of the Greek dances also. The Spanish dance called "el Torcico"—literally speaking, eight of, or figure of eight,—is executed precisely in the same manner as the dance already described in those two countries, in which the women are led by one man, and the whole number wind in and out, in snake-like undulations, keeping step together.

Morescoes was the name given in Spain to those Moors who had submitted to baptism, as well as to those who still kept to their profession of Mahomedanism. The former class were accused by the priests of mixing the customs and ceremonies of their ancient faith with that which they had been compelled to adopt.

King Philip II. issued an edict forbidding the Morescoes, under