The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-05-17
Holy Days and Holidays.


Church Whit Monday is, in many
countries, a peoples holiday, more
especially among the jewellers on the
Continent of Europe, and of late
among their descendants in this
country. Whit Monday is marked as
O day of abstinence from all but nee
essary labor, and is given up to en-
joyment and holiday-making.
Whit Sundays identical with Pente-
cost, one of the great feasts of the Jews,
DO called because it came fifty weeks
after the Feast of the Passover. 1t
was naturally an occasion ofrejoicing,
being feast of the first fruits of the
harvest. It stood as the embodiment
OF the completed season and was
characterized by q hospitable iberali-
Ey and remembrance of the poor
Its distinguishing feature was the
offering OF two loayes of bread made
from the new crop. In foreign coun-
tries, since the Captivity, the Jews
have prolonged it to two days, and in
later times it has also been kept by
chat people as the commentator of
She delivery Of the tables of the law
TO Moses on Mount Sinia, of which it
is the anniversary.
It is also kept as a festival by the
Christian world, and in the Latin and
Greek Churches ranks next after
Easter. It commentaries, in these
Churches, the day when, as related
in the second chapter of the Book of
Acts, the Holy Ghost descended on
the Apostles and bestowed upon them
the gift of tongues. The festival of
Pentecost was, in the early days of
the Church, favorite season for adj
lninistering the rite of baptism, and
us those who received it were clothed
in white, symbolic Of the purity which
baptism confers, the day has become
known as Whit Sunday or White
Sunday.
Easter Monday and Whit Monday
are the holidays corresponding to the
Church holy days of Easter and Whit
Sunday, and there is a growing dis
position to observe them as such,
among large class of people outside
of the Church pale. Whit Monday
especially, coming as it does in the
later and pleasanter part of Spring is,
taken IN connection with it's historic
and emblematic association, natural
" day of rejoicing. The Sunday
preceding has its Joy too, but it is
tempered with the sacredness belong
ing to Gods Day, and while the heart |
may properly rejoice and be glad at |
the recurrence of the Festival, mark |
ing as it does day sacred in the an |
mails Of the Church as well as a day
which rounds the completed cycle of |
need time and harvest, the sports and
l1astimes by which mankind testify |
their pleasure at any joyous event
may well be deferred till Monday.
There are too few of such days
The rude necessities or fancied ne |
cessities of life bind us too closely |
to desk, shop and farm. 'Man goes
forth to his. work and labor until |
evening" too often. The bow is al
ways bent, the spring always tense.
In many cases the struggle for life
compels the weary round and the joy
less existence. but it is simply the
greed for gain which makes us be-
grudge every day wherein the 'tmuck
rake of Bunyan is not ct work. Mems
lives would be happier if they would
take more days of rest. They would
be purer, sweeter. The constant
grind of the money making mill wears
sway too many of our better qualities,
and doubtless one reason why chill
dren are more open and freer-hearted |
than their parents is. not simply their
conscience. but the fact that they
Iningle more of LIES pleasures with