Part 9 (1/2)
”How sensible,” I remarked.
”This loose waist or chemisette is sometimes white and sometimes colored. It is made of jusi cloth, that is, cloth woven from banana leaf fiber. You see it is softer, thinner, and cooler than your linen or cotton.”
”It is lovely,” I acknowledged.
”Loose wide collars are in style with you now, but they have always been in style here. We call it 'panuelo' (pa nu ai'lo). It is our whitest, thinnest fiber, made from pineapple leaves, just like our handkerchiefs that I told you about. You see we starch it. It hangs down the back to a point, and it is very cool and dainty,” explained Filippa's mother.
”What wide sleeves!” I exclaimed.
”Yes, sinamei chemisettes, or waists, have very wide sleeves, but are short to the elbow. We starch them out, so they will be cool and neat,”
replied Filippa's mother.
”I notice that Filippa's hair is worn plain,” I remarked.
”Yes,” replied her mother, ”we brush the hair back plain; tie a knot or leave it loose. We like jewelry, and we wear splendid lace mantillas, or shawls, over the head.”
”What odd slippers with no heels!” I exclaimed.
”Yes, we all like to have our feet ready to jump into mud or water, for our roads are not yet good. These slippers are called 'chinelas'
(che nay'las). They have no heel and just a catch to put the toe in. They have no laces. With them we slide along the ground. But we cannot back up straight, or run last in them. If we wish to go back we must turn around, so as to keep our chinelas on our toes. The young people do not wear stockings in our warm climate, where one lives close to Nature,--too close sometimes, when the snake bites.”
”But taken all together, what a happy Eden this is for a boy or a girl,” I added.
CHAPTER XIX
THE ”ADIOS” FEAST
Next day as we were walking down the road to the good-by feast, I noticed a crowd gathered in a circle, and stooping over.
”What are they doing; digging gold?” I asked.
”No, they are making game-fowl fight,” Moro replied. ”They wager money on which will be the winner and put the other to flight. The boys and men get very much excited.”
”This good-by feast in your honor, before you return home, is called a 'fiesta' (fe ais'ta),” explained Filippa. ”Father and mother and Fil have spoken to the Padre, and the barrio-elders; and everything is arranged.”
”But what is a 'barrio'?” I inquired.
”It means a village, a ward,” replied Filippa.
I could hear bands and orchestras gathering. Here and there were tall bamboos bent over the paths, and from their arches hung banners and colored paper lanterns.
Carromatos (car ro ma' tos), small carriages drawn by little black ponies, were bringing people in. The men and boys were dressed in white duck, as though they were going aboard yachts.
In front of the houses and the Iglesia (church) and convent were hung flags, festoons, streamers, wreaths, and bunting.