REHEARSAL OF THE WAY THE YEAR OF THE GREAT KAAN IS DISTRIBUTED.
On arriving at his capital of Cambaluc,[NOTE 1] he stays in his palace
there three days and no more; during which time he has great court
entertainments and rejoicings, and makes merry with his wives. He then
quits his palace at Cambaluc, and proceeds to that city which he has
built, as I told you before, and which is called Chandu, where he has that
grand park and palace of cane, and where he keeps his gerfalcons in mew.
There he spends the summer, to escape the heat, for the situation is a
very cool one. After stopping there from the beginning of May to the 28th
of August, he takes his departure (that is the time when they sprinkle the
white mares' milk as I told you), and returns to his capital Cambaluc.
There he stops, as I have told you also, the month of September, to keep
his Birthday Feast, and also throughout October, November, December,
January, and February, in which last month he keeps the grand feast of the
New Year, which they call the White Feast, as you have heard already with
all particulars. He then sets out on his march towards the Ocean Sea,
hunting and hawking, and continues out from the beginning of March to the
middle of May; and then comes back for three days only to the capital,
during which he makes merry with his wives, and holds a great court and
grand entertainments.
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