West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-04-27
Easter Games I'm Germany.

Easter Monday is looked upon as a
grand holiday by the peasantry i'm many
parts of Germany. Weddings are often
deferred TO this day, and many village
games are reserved for this season. The
lads and lassies all appear in their gala
costumes; the girls with short, dark
skirts, braided with gold or silver, snowy
aprons and full white sleeves, bright
colored bodices and odd little caps; the
boys with knee-breeches, white stock
lngs, low shoes, and scarlet or yellow
vests, the soldid gold or silver buttons
on which are often their whole inherit
ance. But when they are dancing gayly
together on the green, they look a great
deal happier than if they were little
kings and queens.
Games vary in different villages
throughout the country, but one ex-
ample will give some idea of what they
are like.
Two of the leading young men of the
place take entire charge of the DAVIS
amusements, selecting for the purpose
as the scene of the festivities some inn
or Wirthschaft, to which is attached n
large garden or meadow.
For several preceding evenings. when
| work is over, they go about from house
to house, dressed in their best and
carrying large baskets upon their arms.
Everywhere they are kindly received
and bread, with wine or cider, is placed
before them. While they eat and drink,
the baskets are quietly slipped away by
some member of the family, a generous
donation of eggs placed within them,
and they are secretly returned to their
places. The, eggs are not asked for,
neither are they alluded to in any way !;
but the object of the visit is well under
stood and prepared for long beforehand.
When Monday morning dawns, the
Inn Is found TO have been gayly decor
ated with garlands of green and flowers.
and fluttering ribbons of many colors.
The tree nearest the house is ornamented
In ike manner, and on it the prize to be
contended for, conspicuously hangs. On
the smooth grass hard by, a strip, few
feet wide and perhaps a hundred long,
has been roped in, and at either end of
this narrow plot large, shallow. round
bottomed basket, called the Wanne is
placed, one filled with chaff and the
other with eggs, dozens upon dozens
cooked and raw, white and colored.
The plan of the peculiar game which
follows is that one PLAYER is pitted To
run Il given distance, while another
safely throws eggs from one basket to
the other, he who first completes his
task being, of course, the winner. Ac-
cordingly, when the young men and
maidens have arrived, two leaders draw
lots to see who shall run and who shall
throw. That decided, the contestants
are gayly decked with ribbons. n band
strikes up lively air, capering clown
clears the WaY and tho CANA hoo;ns
lie who throws takes the eggs. and one
after another swiftly whiris them the
length OF the course, and into the other
chahflled basket, which is held in the
hands OF an assistant Occasionally he
makes diversion by pitching a hard
one to be scrambled for by the crowds of
children who have assembled to see the
sport. Meantime (while wapers are laid
as 10 who will likely win) the other con-
testant speeds the distance of a mile or
Two to an appointed goal, marks it as
proof OF his having touched it,, and if he
succeeds IN returning before all the eggs
are thrown, the victory and the prize
are MS, otherwise they belong to his
opponent The game finished, the prize
Is presented to the victor with due cere-
mony and amid the cheers of the crowd !:
the hard eggs are distributed among the
company, and the raw once carried up
roarlously into the neighboring inn,
there to be cooked in various WAYS and
eaten.
The remainder of the day is spent in
dancing and marry-making, and if a
wedding can possibly be arranged to
take place on that afternoon the fun is
wilder than ever.