Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-26
RAsTER SUNDAY.
The OrigIn Of the Festival and the mede
nf ltn Celehralion,

Of Its Celebration.
Easter Sunday, "ths queen of festivals" /
comes, in accordance with the weighty de-
cisiOn Of the worshipful Council Of Nice, on
the first Sunday after the first full moon fol-
lowing the vernaI squinox-and thAt Sunday
(the almsnac-msksrs and the iessening moon
inform us,) is tomorrow. The festival cell
sbrates the resurrection of our Saviour, and
is q continuation and ChristianiEation OF the
Jewish festival Of the passover, called the
Pascha. Traces Of the Jewish origin Of the
festival are still noticeable in the present
mode of celebrating it. The English, up to
very recent day, ate tansy pudding at the
festival dinner, in cOmmemoration Of the
bitter herbs Of the Jewish feast; and the
oOlorsd eggs, which by universal custom are
used for presents on Easter morning, are 70
this day called paste or PGsehs eggs.
The word Easter is derived bV some, with
considerable show Of probability, from the
Celtic word osterns,-the name Of the god
dess of spring,-and the fact that the Eng
Iish name of the festival has this derivation |
seems to point to the conclusion that with |
the Catholic rites were mingled, in the early |
days, the ceremonies of some pagan and
Druidic holiday in honor Of the Celtic god
doss,-and that the name Of the festival is
one of the traces of this union.
Easter is among the most ancient
and widest celebrated of festivals now
extant. It had its origin fifteen hun
dred years before Christ, in the dark
days of Israel, before that people
went out Of Egypt. It took fresh vitality
and life, like ali the good things Of the Ma
sonic ceremonial, from the advent of Christ
The precise date Of its celebration was the
subject of much controversy among the
Christian fathers, and was almost the Occa-
sion Of a permanent division in the church.
But the decree of the Council Of Nice, held
A. D. 325, settled the matter finally and sat-
isfsotOriIy.
Beside the rational and truly religious
method of celebrating this most significant
Christian holiday, each country has Pecu-
liar observance Of the day; some pleasant,
some laughable, and some cruelty wicked IL
is universally, in the oalenderS of the Ho-
man, Greek and EpiscOpalian churches, made
the closing day of Lent, and its dawning is
) everywhere hailed as q day of joy and
mirth. This tendency is especially observ-
able in the riOtous fun and rsvelry Of the
Csrpival-wesk st Rome, which Easter Sun
! day ushers in in the hand-shaking, kissing
: and congratulations with which the Russians
celebrate the day; in the quaint Irish le-
gsnd, (which old Sir Thsmas Browne has
deemed worthy of refutstiOn in his crusade
against "VuIgar ErrOrs,") that the sun
dances Of an Easter morning. This lattei
t story, however, may find Its origin in the fac
g that, about this season Of the year, the sur
9 begins to look forth more eheerfully anc
smile with more genial warmth. From this
n fact arises the prevalent belief, in England
d ss we'll as ireland, that the sun shines mor'
brightly on Easter Sunday than any Othsi
day.-s belief that adds fresh force to Suck
Q Iing's sprightIy comparison
= "And oh, she dances such away
The sun, upon a Easter day,
Is not so fne sight.
The custom of EaIter eggs and tAnSy-pud
' ings we have already alluded to. In SOM
P parts of Northern England it was the habit
asslate as 1872 of the men Of each village, Il
20 through the streets, lifting three time
from the ground each woman they met, AM
claiming, as a reward, q kiss or sixPence
For the benefit of "strong minded" reader
va hasten to add that the women had tn
same privilege on the next day. In anOthe
= part of England it was the practice OF tn
= people of parish to cOHsct together an
/ throw spplss into the churohyard, those VIII
10 had been married during the year throwing
in, by way Of thanksgiving, let US suppose
IS three times IS many as any others.
10 In France less innocent custom was pre-
= valent Of whipping and sometimes killin
Jews. Even monks INDUCED in this curiOu
1t pastime. The day seems, indeed, to hav
1t been universally regarded as especially in
tended for demonstrating dislike to the Jew
st ish race. In England little boys wen
y through the streets singing
1Christ is risen Christ is risenl
All the Jews must go to prison
and the English people were won't to mani
fest their contempt for Jewish PrejudiOes b
eating bacon on that day.
u The ceremonies Of the day, as practice
CT here and now, differ happily and HgsPioiOuSl
from those old customs, some absurd, son
e' cruel. Let us take courage from the fact
hope that the world grows better as it grow
Older