Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 5 1887.djvu/312

304 Theee dances are said to have been instituted during the reign of Philip III. of Spain (1598—1621) by the canons of the cathedral at Seville, in order to stimulate the people to better attendance at church, in which they had become very lax.

The chorister boys who took part in them were originally six in number, thence their name of "Los Seises," or the sixes; there are now ten performers, who are dressed in the costume worn by court-pages at the period when these dances were established.

It has also been stated that one of the popes threatened to have them abolished, on the ground that such dances must be irreverent, that on being remonstrated with by the dignitaries of the cathedral, who declared that the people would most strongly object to their being discontinued, his holiness insisted that the boys should be sent to Rome to dance before him, in order that he might judge for himself. The story goes on to relate that this was done, and the pontiff was convinced that there was no irreverence in this exhibition, and therefore decreed that these dances might continue so long as the costumes of the performers should last. No new ones have ever been provided, and yet up to the present time no such catastrophe has ever occurred as their wearing out; by means of a patch here, and a new sleeve there, as needed, the dresses are still serviceable, and doubtless will be so for some hundreds of years if necessary. The boys wear white shoes and stockings, knee-breeches and tight-fitting jackets of white satin (which has become cream-coloured through age), which are trimmed with gold lace. Over the jacket is worn a kind of tabard of crimson or blue satin, blue for the feast of the Blessed Virgin, and red on all other occasions; this has longitudinal stripes of gold lace, a ribbon streamer hangs before and behind each shoulder somewhat after the fashion of those on the gown of an Oxford undergraduate, a narrow white scarf crosses the body from the right shoulder to the left hip. The hats of the boys are of red or blue satin broad brimmed, and turned up in front, where is fixed a plume of feathers.

When the dancing is about to begin, the archbishop or bishop, the