A GAY FUNERAL.

Shannon News, 18 June 1926, Page 3

A GAY FUNERAL.

Dancing girls ,with castanets, musicians, and revellers in fancy dress, all took part in the funeral of an eighty-year-old widow in the commune of Castalla, Spain, where same amazing scenes were witnessed.

According to the Alicante correspondent of “El Sol,” when the woman realised that she w:. s about to die, she chose her own funeral wreaths, called for an orchestra, and finally summoned a pumber of peasants who, on account of a local fete, were parading the town in old f’pansh and Moorsh costumes, as well as several gay young girls playing castenets, apd asked them to accor. pany her funeral to the cemetery so that it might le as “joyous” as possible. When the octogei arian died, the programme which she had drawn up was rigorously adhered to, the young people dancing in ti e cemetery while the musicians playe 1 their liveliest tunes. When the ceremony was over, this extraordinary funeral cortege returned to the dead woman’s house, where all the wine in her cellar set before them with the request that they should finish it up.