New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-03-31

the inference from the scriptural announcement,
And the evening and the morning were the first
day." "Easter Eve commentaries" says Keble,
"the period between the death of Jesus and his
resurrection The churches everywhere have
appropriate services for it. In Rome some curious
customs are observed. "On the reading OF par
cular passage in the service of the Sstine Chapel
says the Book of Days, which takes place at
about half past eleven O'Clock, the bells OF st.
Peters are rung, the guns of St. Angelo are fired,
and all the bells in the city Immediately break
FORTH if rejoiced in their liberty of ringing
This day, at st. Peters, the only ceremony that
need be noticed is the blessing of the fire and the
paschal candle. For this purpose ne,1 fire, as it
is called, is employed. At the beginning of mass,
light from the candles and the charcoal for the
incense is enkindled, is struck from a flint in the
sacrsty where the chief saeristan privately blesses
the water, the fire and the five grains of incense
which are to be fixed in the paschal candles. For
merly all the fires in Rome were lighted anew from
this holy fire, but this is no longer the case After
the service, the cardinal vicar proceeds to the
I paptistry Of ST. Peters; there having blessed and
exercised the water for baptism, and dipped into
the pasch alcandle, he concludes sprnkling some
of the water on the people. Catechumens are
afterwards baptized and deacons and priests are
! ordained, and the tonsure is given"
Tomorrow will be Easter Day or Easter Sunday.
The name Easter is traced in the Anglosaxon,
Dutch, old high German and new high German, to
the AngloSaxon Easter or Eoster, and the old
high German Ostara, goddess of light or spring,
in honor OF whom festival was celebrated in
April. Others have supposed that the has
been derived from Oster, which signifies rising or
resurrection. Some, again, have supposed that
Ea the AStarte of
ancient Eastern nations.
The festivals commemorative of the resurrection
of the Saviour, and, with Christmas and Whitsuntde,
is accounted among the most solemn Of the year.
1t was anciently called the "Great Day. the
"Feast of Feasts," the "Queen of Feasts," etc.
1t is the principal of what are called the movable
feasts the period of all the others being dependent
upon the day on which Easter falls. This is inva
rably the first Sunday after the fourteenth day of
: the calendar moon-thatis, the first Sunday after
e the full moon-whch happens upon or next after
the 2lst of March but if this full moon fall upon a
# Sunday Easter day is the Sunday after. The earl
Il est date therefore, which Easter fall is the
22d of March, the latest according to the tables in
!. the Book of Common Prayer and the almanacs and
other authorities, April 25.
e Easter corresponds to the Jewish peSach or
e passover, and from that word most countries name
e it, In Greek and Latin it is pascha, in Italiar
pnsqua, in Spanish pascua, in Portuguese pas
70 choa, in French paques, (anciently pasques.
70 " The first and greatest of these festivals" [of h
in Jews,l "the Passover says Milman, or rathe
~, the first full moon the commencement of the rel
so gous year, was as it were the birthday of tn
ra nation, the day of their deliverance from Egyp
when the angel of death passed over their dive
lings. The festival lasted seven days, and ever
,is ceremony recalled the awful of their del'
"a erance. On the first evening they tasted the bi
le ter herb emblematic of the bitterness of slavery
of they partook of the sacrifice with their loins grde
IT, as ready for their fight they eat only unleavene
M Bread the bread of slavery, prepared in the hurr
ell and confusion of their departure" As Chri
ii tan festival, Hobart says, it for antiquity an
yals It was Observed from the very fhe' nFss
be the only dispute being, not about the propriety
es, the festival ITSELF but about the proper day o
es, which it was to be observed" The particulars {
1t this dispute are very interesting, but too compl
'ty Gated and too lengthy for this place. The ol
all seryance of Easter was at length fixed to one an
the same day. by the great general Council I
~ Nice, A. D. 325.
''' OF the authority on which the Jews base the
? customs in celebrating the Passover, the llth Il
,a M and 18th chapters of Exodus. give full accoun
- The observances are carried out to this day amol
-! the faithful in Israel, as exactly crcumstanc
Is will allow. Among the primitive Christians o
~ custom was to interchange on Easter day su
"a salutatons as I" Christ is risen; Christ is ris
~, indeed; !" "And hath appeared unto Simon - a
t this we are told still prevails in the Greek Churt
me- The eastern custom of presenting and lighting
49, hard-boed eggs, with their shells highly colore
still prevails in Europe as well as it does In t
in country. They used to be colored red, as an c
ted blem of the blood of the Saviour In some parts
we'll England a custom yet fingers OF eating gamn
The of bacon on this day, to show an abhorrcnce
W. Judaism, and in mockery of the paschal Ia
onm eaten by the Jews. There are several chaflta
ents donations made under bequests for the purpose
atly different parts of England. of the customs WI
they follow Easter day it will be time enough to sp
hing hereafter.
ould Throughout christendom the religious serv
of Easter day are solemn and imposing but il
at Rome that the greatest pomp and mpressivr
ught ~ ,r;tnos,ad The pone himself official
and are ~ " s,,.,;nr tho occonnt oiven bv n ger
not "n0 ~ ;.o,sad tho caramonials in 1862
iauh' find it in the Book of Days :-"From hal
Ihree the adjoining palace of the Vatican he is o.
lition .De ah,n.h urder circumstances of the ut
oest ar,endor, Seated in his Sedta Gestator1a his
anles ments blaze with gold on his head, he wear
tiara, tall round gilded cap representing
spec crown and which is understood to signify spil
ill be power, temporal power. and union OF
young Reside him are borne the .Rabel!i or large
1arac composed of ostrich feathers in which are Sc
eye-like parts of peacocks' feathers to signif
p,,r. ewes or vigilance of the church. Over hi
ferred borne silk canopy richly fringed. After o
pont ting at high mass at the altar, the Pope ls'
% and the same ceremony, and to sound of music,
q sv lot back through the crowded church, and
M ascends to the balcony over the central doc
,le There rising froa his Chair of State and envl
by his principal officers, he pronounces a be
tion, with indulgences and absolution.
oe"- "rhis is the most imposing OF all the ceren
lperlor at Rome at this season, and the concourse
moe ple in the area in front of St. Peters Is Inn
street On the occasion in 1862 there were, in addlt
+o.dav least 10, 900 French troops. The crowd Is
a arooin Immediately below the balcony at Whlt
mann. Pope appears, for there papers are thrown
ar and containing copies of the prayers that have
trial uttered, and ordinarily there is scramble tc
adver. them. The prayers, it need hardly be said
Latin. On the evening of Easter Snnd
-. domes and other extreme parts of st. Pete
soldiers ,. beautifully illuminated with lamps"
I'm ,i Here in the South, Easter falls in one
o,,f rtn "