Saint Stephen's Fete in Budapest 



555 



Though this made the dress hang out 

 in an attractive manner at the bottom of 

 the skirt, the effect at the waist-hne was 

 sometimes startHng. We were struck by 

 the beautiful tones of some of the colors 

 worn. This was accounted for by our 

 guide, who told us that these outer 

 skirts ( which are only worn on the grand- 

 est occasions) were sometimes very old, 

 having been passed down from one gen- 

 eration to another as wedding gifts. The 

 dresses are all quite short, and if the 

 boots of every-day wear had been laid 

 aside, there was sure to be an elaborate 

 display of hosiery. Though some were 

 contended with plain but bright colors, 

 the general taste ran to stripes, and par- 

 ticularly smart seemed those that ran 

 horizontally. The children of both sexes 

 were but miniature counterparts of their 

 parents. 



As we entered the streets through 

 which the procession was to pass, we 

 found them lined with troops. The}' 

 were the men of the Hungarian infan- 

 try, their skin-tight trousers laced inside 

 their shoes, and each soldier with three 

 green oak leaves stuck in his shako, in 

 honor of the day. 



THE OLD FAMILIES OF HUNGARY HAVE 

 EACH ITS PARTICULAR COSTUME 



On arriving at the Palace Square the 

 scene was an animated one. We had 

 been so fortunate as to secure a permit 

 for our carriage to remain there, so that 

 we had a fine point of vantage for our 

 observations. The procession was form- 

 ing in the inner court of the palace, and 

 through the high, arched gateway a 

 stream of those who were to take part 

 were wending their way. There would 

 be some high church dignitary, humbly 

 walking, arrayed in the beautiful vest- 

 ments of his clerical rank and attended 

 by acolytes in scarlet and white. Then 

 some nobleman, dressed in the national 

 costume, dashes by in his carriage ; for 

 none are of too high rank to do homage 

 to Saint Stephen on this particular clay. 



The costumes of these gentlemen of 

 rank and title were without doubt the 

 most picturesque feature of the whole 

 procession. 



The old families of Hungary have each 

 its particular costume, conforming in a 

 general way to the national dress, but 

 with special decorations that make it pos- 

 sible for those familiar with them to tell 

 at once to which family the wearer be- 

 longs. The costumes are most elaborate, 

 generally of velvet heavily braided, and 

 ornamented with trimmings of fur, cords 

 of gold and silver, and cut steel or jew- 

 eled buttons. With these are worn richly 

 ornamented swords, high boots, heavily 

 spurred, and caps of fur or velvet sur- 

 mounted by eagle feathers or aigrettes. 

 These are held in place by clasps of 

 curiously wrought gold or silver, some- 

 times set with precious stones. Let one 

 of these dresses be of red or light green 

 velvet, trimmed with Russian sable, with 

 further addition to the above-mentioned 

 ornaments of numerous orders and deco- 

 rations, and a Hungarian nobleman of 

 high rank is a picture that it is difficult 

 to equal unless to go to the Eastern home 

 of the gorgeous oriental. 



No gentleman of quality in Hungary 

 attends a ceremony of state unless ac- 

 companied by a chasseur in the uniform 

 of the retainers of his family. These 

 servants sit on the box with the drivers 

 and are but a trifle less gorgeous than 

 the masters themselves. The general ap- 

 pearance of these costumes were of a 

 military nature, and the style affected 

 that of a hussar cut — tight breeches, 

 short jackets, with an extra coat slung 

 over one shoulder. All were of bright- 

 colored cloth, heavily braided in gold or 

 silver, with an enormous number of but- 

 tons in metal to match. Fur hats topped 

 with a single eagle's feather or plume, 

 boots sometimes of red or yellow leather, 

 and a large curved sword completed their 

 outfit : and with their gorgeously arrayed 

 masters they made a brilliant picture, as 

 carriage after carriage drove into the 

 Palace Court. 



