The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-03-26

one side, and the sons the other side of the
table; each wearing new garments, and with
heads covered. A dish is placed in the centre
ofthe table which contains the Passover cakes,
separated from each other by napkin An
! other dish above ii contains lettuce ,marmaladc
favored with cinnamon, apples, almonds, q
bottle of vinegar chervi Mrd-bOiled eggs,
horse radish, and small bone with very little
meat on it, 1.-THE marmalade signifies the clay,
chalk and bricks in which the Hebrew slaves
worked under Pharaoh, the vinegar and herbs
the bitterness and misery they then endured,
and the bone the pacehal lamb" In wealthy
families the masters drinking cup is of gold,
the other members of the family use silver
cups. Red wine is drank, concentrating the
| Hebrew blood which tradition saws Pharaoh
bathed in.
learned writer says: THE master of
| the house opens the ceremony with the prayer
of blessing; the cups being filled to the brim
| the eldest son rises and taking q ever from
another table, pours water over his fathers
hands, those present rising and stretching out
their hands to the centre of the DISH repeat
! these words from the Htqgoda: Behold the
bread of sorrow our fathers ate in Egypt =
Whoever is hungry let him come and eat with
MS. Whocveris poor let him take his Passover
with us" The youngest son asks his father
in Hebrew, What is the meaning of this
ceremony?' aud the father replies, I've
were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord our
God has brought us out with II mighty hand
and stretched out arm" All then repeat
the story ofthe departure from Egypt in Bible
words and taste the various symbolical articles
arranged in the dish. BY the side of the
masters cup stands one of much larger dimen-
sons, which is then filed with the best wine.
II is set apart for the Prophet Elijah, the good
genius of Israel an invisible guest, hut ALWAYS
and everywhere present at high festivals. -
This ends the first passover meal At the
evening meal, the family, occupying the same
places at table, after prayer the father requests
the eldest son 10 open the door, which he
does, and moves back as though to let some
one enter. The strictest silence is observed
The Prophet enters, tastes the wine as Gods
representative, sanctites and blesses the house
and departs. The dool is then closed The
wine cups are empticd for the fourth time,
the 115th, 10th, 18th and 150th Psalms are
sung with great enthusiasm and fcrvor and
the religious part of the Passover festival
closes
THE slClLIAN NEsrEEs.
The Goth of March, this year, is the JgSth
anniversary of what is known in history az
the "Sician Nespers massacre" Charles of
Aniou, brother of Louis " of France, had
conquered the Island of Sicily, and divided it
among his feudal followers. The Sicilians
were oppressed and outraged in every CON
ceivable way, until their opprcssors We're most
ticrcely hated by the natives, and by them re
garded as tiendS in human form. In 1889 A.
d., Easter Sunday was ON the 29tli of March,
Easter Monday being the Both of March As
the people Of Palermo We're quietly and
pcaceably going to the vcsper service, Easter
Monday afternoon, the daughter of a promi
ncnt citizen, but lately bride, was nuhliclv
insultcd upon the street by French soldier
The outraged citizens could no longer endure
the gricvous burdens and Outragcs hcapcd
upon them. Selling whatever lay within
their reach they assaulted and slew every
Frcnchman, woman and child in the city
Italians and Sicilians married to Frcnchmcn
were not even spared. 1t is said that 5000
French paid hepcnalty for their tyranny and
oppression The horrible massacre of Pa
lermo was repeated in every town and village
of the island. But single Frcnchman
escaped fully $4,000 being slain.
The popular superstition of April borrow
ing days from March was formerly the other
way, the belief being that March borrowed
its last three days from April to kill some
sheep with. An old Scotch rhyme clothes
the superstition in the following language
March said to Aperl,
! sec three hOggS" upon Il hill,
And if you'll lend me dayes three,
I'll find way to make them dee
The first o them was wind and wcct,
The second o them was shaw and scct.
The third o them was sic freeze,
1t frOzc the birds ncbSt to the trees
When the three dayes were past and game,
The three silly hogs came hirplingt hame."
"A sheep in its second year.
"a bill or beak.
tLimping.