When the procession
has wound its way through every street, the girls go to another
house, and having shut the door against the eager prying crowd of
boys who follow at their heels, they strip the Death and pass the
naked truss of straw out of the window to the boys, who pounce on
it, run out of the village with it without singing, and fling the
dilapidated effigy into the neighbouring brook. This done, the
second scene of the little drama begins. While the boys were
carrying away the Death out of the village, the girls remained in
the house, and one of them is now dressed in all the finery which
had been worn by the effigy. Thus arrayed she is led in procession
through all the streets to the singing of the same hymn as before.
When the procession is over they all betake themselves to the house
of the girl who played the leading part. Here a feast awaits them
from which also the boys are excluded. It is a popular belief that
the children may safely begin to eat gooseberries and other fruit
after the day on which Death has thus been carried out; for Death,
which up to that time lurked especially in gooseberries, is now
destroyed.
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