Saint Stephen's Fete in Budapest 



557 



THE PROCESSION 



B)' this time people thronged the square 

 as well as the street leading to it, down 

 which the procession was to pass. It was 

 not a curious, sight-seeing crowd, noisy 

 and pushing, as would have been the 

 case had the coming pageant been of a 

 political or military nature. This was 

 a religious ceremony they were about to 

 witness — one of great solemnity, and to 

 see which some had come many miles. 

 Money had been saved for years for the 

 trip, and possibly it was the one time in 

 their lives that numbers of the peasants 

 were able to make the journey. The 

 police and troops had no difficulty in 

 keeping the roadway clear, the people 

 remaining respectfully behind the lines, 

 many with bowed heads, in prayer or ip 

 telling the beads of their rosaries. 



At seven promptly the procession 

 emerged from the Palace gateway. It 

 was headed by several hundred children, 

 the girls dressed in white, chanting as 

 the\- walked along, and carrying many 

 banners on which religious subjects were 

 portrayed. The banners were a feature 

 of the entire procession, as there was a 

 great number of them throughout the 

 Hne, some very beautiful. Those carried 

 by the children were small and plain, 

 with a picture of a saint on a simple 

 background of some colored material. 

 Later they became more elaborate, and 

 those carried immediately in front of the 

 reliquary were of the most splendid col- 

 ored brocaded silk, the pictures being 

 magnificent examples of hand embroid- 

 ery. Behind the children were many 

 religious societies, of both men and 

 women, some wearing special regalias. 

 These also were chanting or repeating 

 prayers in concert, generally led by a 

 priest in full vestments. A battalion of 

 infantry formed the guard of honor and 

 was preceded by a full regimental band. 

 They marched with slow, measured step, 

 the music being of a solemn and churchly 

 nature. Immediately following the mili- 

 tary came the priests from the different 



churches of the two cities, attended by 

 their assistants and acolytes, all in their 

 highest robes and vestments. 



The dropping on the knees of many 

 of the spectators and the bowing of 

 heads and crossing of themselves by 

 others announced the approach of the 

 reliquary. Preceded by magnificent ban- 

 ners and by the Archbishop of Budapest, 

 it was borne high in air, so that all might 

 see. It ' stood on a carved framework, 

 which was elaborately covered with gild- 

 ing and embroidery, and was carried on 

 the shoulders of four richly robed priests. 

 On each side walked two royal heralds, 

 who represented the King as special 

 guardians of the relic. They were magnifi- 

 cent persons, in crimson velvet, bearing 

 the royal arms of Hungary embroidered 

 in gold on their chests and backs and 

 carrying golden staffs of office richly 

 ornamented. A special guard of honor 

 marched in single file on the outer edge 

 of the immediate escort of the reliquary. 

 This was composed of a detachment of 

 the celebrated Hungarian Palace Guard, 

 the most theatrically dressed troops in all 

 Europe. Their uniforms were a queer 

 combination of past and present. A pol- 

 ished steel helmet of ancient pattern, 

 crowned by a single eagle's feather, sur- 

 mounted a most modern-cut scarlet uni- 

 form, richly braided with silver cord. 

 Their boots were of brilliant yellow 

 leather, and for arms they carried a 

 modern saber, with the long polished 

 steel halberds of centuries ago. The relic 

 was carried past with many signs of 

 reverence and veneration from the specta- 

 tors and mid a silence that was broken 

 only by the murmurs of lowly spoken 

 prayers. 



Immediately behind the reliquary 

 came the nobles and gentlemen, whose- 

 costumes I have already endeavored to 

 describe. Individually as they arrived 

 they were unique and showy, but massed 

 together they made a picture of novelt}* 

 and color to which no camera could do 

 justice. They were followed by many 

 army officers in full uniform and by the 



