220 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TEOANO. 



t'lYol, Ihcil-Ixchel ; also some little stones used in their sorceries, called am. 

 Then they invoked in their praj^ers, with great devotion, the gods of medi - 

 cine, Yzamna, Cit-Bolon-Tun, and Ahan-Chaniahcz, while the priests burned 

 in their honor the incense which they cast into the brazier of the new fire, 

 and which the Chacs smeared with a blue color resembling the color of the 

 books of the priests. This done, each one gathered up his valuables, and, 

 loaded with their bundles, they executed a dance called Chan-tun-yah. The 

 dance having terminated, the men seated themselves on one side and the 

 women on the other; they then arranged the day for the feast of the next 

 year, and all made the usual banquet on the offerings and drinks, intoxicating 

 themselves, trying each to exceed the other. The priests alone, it is said, 

 ashamed of joining with them on this occasion, put aside their share of the 

 wine, in order to drink it at their ease and without any witnes.ses. 



The preceding day the hunters gathered together at one of their houses, 

 where they brought their wives with them ; the priests came also, and after 

 having driven awa}^ the evil spirit, as usual, they placed in the center of 

 the house the preparatives necessary to the saci-ifice of incense and the new 

 fire, with the blue color. The hunters worshiped with devotion the gods 

 of the chase, Acanuni, Zu-hny-Zip, Tabai, and others, and distributed the 

 incense, which they then threw into the brazier. While they were burning, 

 each one took an arrow and a deer's head, which the Chacs had painted 

 blue; and thus adorned some danced, holding each other's hand, while 

 others pierced their ears or tongue, passing through the holes which the}^ 

 made in them seven leaves of an herb called Ac. This completed, first the 

 priests, and afterward the officers of the feast, presented the offeiings, then 

 they began to dance, drinking wine until they were intoxicated. 



The next day it was the fishermen's turn to celebrate the feast, which 

 they did in the same manner as the others, except that in place of the deer 

 heads, they painted their fishing implements; they did not pierce their ears, 

 but cut around them, after which they performed a dance called ChoJiom. 

 After this, they consecrated a large tree, which they left standing upright. 



When this feast was finished in the cities, it was the custom of the 

 nobles to celebrate it with a large crowd at the sea-shore, where they held 

 a great fishing expedition with rejoicings of every kind ; for they carried 



