The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-20

poon and yeseerdsy, the great day o. Sno Ieess ING
clothing stores Of tho in Chatham street, New
York. and the ond hand Of hat 6oo
in Hamilton avenue, Brooklyn and quarters Of his
metropolis and rs suburbs in which jess do busness,
closed In honor Of the festival, and the peculiar
and Of occasion were celebrated
in The synsgosues.
The ancient Jews had festivals among them
the Feast Of Tunpe.s, Feast Of the Moon, Of the
Dedication, and Fest Of the Jubilee which celebrated
every half century But the three great feasH Of tho
Jewish year the Passover CORES pondng 70 tho
Easter Of Catholics and Episcopasns Pentect CORES
pending to Thitfunde and the Feast rabernaoes
responding 10 American Thanks giving, aud in many
respects TO Halow Eve in Europe
The greatest feast Of all vas and still is, the Passover.
That feast the exodus of sraelses from
Egypt when the destroying angel who slew all the first
born Of the Egyptians passed the houses Of tbs ae
brews without entering At this feast the Pascha
Lamb offered by high priest, and 4, It's ami
versary that Christ, "the lamb of Got" slam and
rose again on the third day, called Easter Sunday Thus
the Jewish Passover became with Christians The festival
OK Easter By uaasua coincidence this year the
Of keeping both festivals happens the week. One
Of the most virulent controversies agaed the
Christian churches was about the time Of keeping the
feast OF Easer which follows the o,ty days fastng OF
Lent The trouble IRON the uncertainty OF the time
OF Chrsts death. 1t could be mined whether he
was cruced In the fifteenth sixteenth nineteenth year
Of 1berius and the time OF the Passover regulated
by the moon and different different years. the day
OF the month could DOT be ascerained The Church Of
the West or Of Rome, ordered be observed a. one
time, and the Church Of the East stantinope,
ordered TO be kept at another. And, strange say,
the British though they derived their IRON the Ro-
mans, who conquered them followed the East instead Of
the West in their Observance or thu festival TIE con-
roversy was at last settled at the Council of Nice when
deceed that all churches should celebrate thev same
day-namely the first Sunday after full moon which
happens upon after the vernai Equinox 2ls OF
Msrch. II Is thus made Of the "moveAble lasts.'
The primitive Christians called 1t the "queen Of feassn
and celebrated IL for fifty days, wnpsunday; bot
as devotion abatsd the fes.vi,y shortened and at
iast it was confined to the week following Easter Sunday
every day Of which there special services IN The
Cateoc and Episcopal churches
The month Of the exodus from Egypt ves ordained u
be tho first month Of the eccesiasscai year.
The Jewish year reckoned by unar months; not az
reckon it by calendar months. Il on the eve Of
the 18th day OF thus lunar month called py Moses abb
and Nisan, they killed the Pasch LAMB ard
the next day the 15to the grand Feast OF the Pass-
over which at the full mOon The slain lamb on sht
to be without defect blemsh male and Of that year.
They killed lamb each family. With tho blood OF the
lamb they sprinkled the door posts Intel Of every
house, that tho destroying angel behodng the blood Of
atoDemept, might pass them They were 70 eat t
roasted, with unleayened bread bitter herbs While
their temple was 10 being the Jews sacrificed lamb
there Any person might kill the animal, but only the
priett could sprinkle the blood at the OF the altar
The obligation Of keeping the Passover very strict,
much SO, indeed, that any who neglected it we're
condemned to death. Those who had any unlawful i'm
pedment, journey, sickness, uuceauness voluntary
involuntary, TO defer the oeebr the Pass
till the fourteenth day Of the second moth Of the
ciesastical year. The Oriental Christians, and espe-
cay the SsraDs insist that the year Carist died the
feast was celebrated the 18th Of the MONTH being
Saturday that began At the the Friday be-
FORE and that Christ anticipated by day celebrating
Il on Friday Chat beginning the evening Of Thurs
day. because he was to suffer Friday
The feast continues week, Jews ont of Pales-
tine extended to eight days, ACCORDING an ancient
CUSTOM by which the San hedrm men 70 observe
the nrss appearance Of the moou who Immediately
gave notice Of 70 the chief Of council For fear of
error they kept two days of the WINS called
the day Of the new not yet seep" aud Tue other
'rhe cay OF the new moon making ITS st appearanoen
SO that the first two days Of the Passover the last
two also, are sacred both from labor and BUSINESS For
the four intervening days. il only forbidden work.
and they are distinguished from working days only By
some tcuars During the eight days the feast the
Jews only uneavened bread and is not ao weo them
have In their custody any Dread leavened
They nine all the house with very scrupuo "a cara
ore er to cast OFT whatever aby ferment In H.
The Christian Passover, the Lora's supper was insti-
tuted BY Christ when at the jewish Passover Supper
he ale with his apostles he gave 70 eat winch
he called his BODY and wine TO orinK called ora
blood, prehgarpg the Lirnse 70 death The
Paschai lamb which The Jews killed. pieces and ate
and whose blood them from the ues lns au
GEL was aype Of Chrsts death and passion, and Of his
blood shed Tor the salvation Of the THIS week u
called ny lhgssans PASSION or suffering week because Of
the suferiDgs Of Christ
This week, rather the end Of it, is also called by
Christians in Ing and and thus country Easter
The term Is singuhry inappropriate, being q saxon
soId referring " The festival OF sne pagan goddess
Esr ;.,, celebrates, Vs the noah Of Aer1 which
Venus or the North, is supposed py BedA apd
others 10 oe the same as AstArte perui goddess OF
Of King Jam.e' version Of the 8os render the Greek
word Idsca, Easter" in Ac.s xi A. whcn Ia the nWe
neScusabe as the passage does not refer resurrec
Of Christ ALI Simply 70 tue Js xl.n Pass,ver
and " after Easter ought to be tran, aed after the
Passover" or IS The Doosy version is, after
Ivsch," by when word Easter is desgoAed m many
Christian countries. Thus thst ons Of the beet
ansaols OF the Scriptures heather my thoIogy u mixed
rDe monies at Rome during this week are Of the
srapdett dsscrpt On Holy Thursday 10 mooz ne
Day before Friday the Of Cor sts aeath
tie Pope performs the ceremony of mug vi snc
feet OF the twelve apostles which attended oy
olsho priess, ambassadors guards add cham0erains
pie Of the city ano surrounding county, day also
called shere Thursday and Maunosy Thursday aud has
been observed by the Emperors Of Germany ana tae
monarcbs ol England Imitation Of Pope Dr. Bright
gives CURIOUS account Of the ceremony shich he W.T.
messed al Vienna where the Emperor Empress washed
tne teet OF poor men and women Ia SILVER DOVE Even
Queen Elizabeth practned IT, read aocouns OF
HoDe Nor was thus custom coo6oed TO royalty: IL W1s
observed by both sexes II the nobility Of England who
also distributed alms 90 this day. Hence vas lied
haundsy, from maund, q bssket, from which aims
~ce distributed. II called Shere sday from the
fact that so.ia
boards, 70 make Them honest against Easter Day."
On Good Friday 10 sung IN the SytIoe Chapel Of g.
Peters, Rome, the sobWe Mser ere the greatest
musical wopders OF the world.
The following Sunday (Easter) Ia the greatest and
apdst Roman Casbolc festival OF the year a Cur.t
mas the greatest among Protestsn Toe Pope ass,ats
1T High Mass, and gives hs benedcoou from the copv
Of ST. Peters u the assembled multitude amid tramen-
cous pomp and pageanty.
OpEnAnc hovnxSTs-Mle. Piccolomini has concluded
Der concert tour In the SOUTH and will sail for Europe on
he LIST Of June We glad 70 that previous
n Der dep0fture piv n