Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-05-01
Feast Of Eggs.
Passion Week in Paris may be termed

Passion Week in Paris may be termed
the ''feast of eggs" Every good Catho-
llc not only fasts every Friday through
out the year, but for q week together at
Easter. The Church does not allow at
any time any flesh food; but eggs may
be eaten in any quantity. On the first
day in Passion W eek everybody presents
every one else with some little present
emblematical of an egg in some shape
or other, which is known as Paschal
egg (Gufs des Pasque). Among people
So ingenious In Il files as Parisians, the
opportunity is not lost, SO that egg
shaped articles are to be had in every
conceivable variety of material. One
would think that the once Imperial
Eagle of France had summoned all the
birds OF the air to come to Paris, build
their nests in shop windows, and there
deposit their eggs; for, go where you
will, look into whatever shop you fancy,
there you see eggs from the size of
caravay comfit, such as is found in the
nest of the humming-bird, to one as
large as a bowl-the ostrich or emu's
egg. The toy shops are full of egg
shaped boxes; within them are dolls
sud playthings. Here you have choco-
late eggs full of cream where the yolk
should be; there You have sugar eggs
filled with liquor; and again, ivory
eggs, within which IS scent-bottle.
Passing along the streets are women
with barrows, crying aloud, "Des Gufs.
Des autS!' eggs! eggs! On their per-
ambulating boards are piled two lots OF
eggs, one white, natural; the other red,
cooked in log-wood water. Thus red
eggs, ready boiled, are sold in every
street in Paris; and 9ufs rGyes is the
literal sense meaning Paschai or Easter
eggs, and in the more acceptable one,
the presents usually given at Easter
time.
some OF the nests are beautiful works
of art. Here is stoat or weasel stealth
lily climbing up a tree to suck the eggs,
with the parent bird in battle array,
ready TO drive the intruder away. Here
again cuckoo has turned out little
chafiinches' egg, which lies broken on
the ground below, while she has left
her own for foster parent to hatch.
Altogether in Paris Easter eggs are one
of its sights, and well worth seeing.
The rank of Princess does not shield
her from salute on the cheek by the
lowest boor that presents her an egg at
Easter, in Russia; and the custom of
distributing peace, or pdche ege-the
Passover or Easter eggs still observed
by the peasanty in different parts of
England; while the young people of
Scotland, where the festival has been
suppressed for centuries, still throw
about and play with hard-boiled, colored
eggs, which they finally eat.
In the days when old and young alike
received these eggs, the demand for
them was such that they commanded
oftentimes great prices. After they
were boiled hard, and coiored in red,
violet, blue, green, etc., dyes, inscrip-
tions and various designs were traced
on them; and those thus ornamented
were exchanged By those sentimeL tally
inclined, very much after the same
fashion as are the Valentines of the
present day. The palmer ones were
saved by the youth, and used on Easter
Monday in playing ball, which, by the
way, was favorite game.
On Easter Monday, even the clergy
INDUCED in the delights of this game
of ball, which men, women and chill
dren reveled in. In many instances il
formed part of their service; bishops
and deans taking ball to church, and,
at the commencement of the anthem,
while dancing to the music, threw it to
the choristers, who handed it back and
forth to each other during the singing.
After this service they all retired for
refreshments, which usually consisted
of a dish of bacon, with tansy pudding
this last symbolical of the bitter herbs
they were commanded to take at the
Paschal feast.