The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-04-05

''Great Week. the English Church has
named it Holy or Passion Week; the
WEIGH, the week of the Cross" while
the Danes and Northern Germans gave
it the beautiful name of the 'Still
Week" because of its abstraction and
holy quiet
In the first three days the Church
aims as far as possible, to remember
the preparatory anguish and its sublime
acceptance; but on Thursday, anciently
called the birthday of the Chafice,
she bestirs herself to show forth her
faith and love by her works. In En-
gland the royal gifts for MANDY
Thursday ''maund" being old En-
glish for gitt-established in 1868 by
Edward III, are still faithfully dis
tributed in this wise: After religious
service in Whitehall Chapel the Lord
Almoner or his deputy counts the years
which the reigning King or Queen has
lived, and then for every year selects a
poor man and a poor woman, to whom
are given wooden and linen cloth, shoes
and stockings, bread, meat, salt fish,
ale, wine, and a piece of gold Qatterly
in place of gold a one-pound note and a
small, silver coin for every year of the
royal donors life have been substi-
tuted.) In the Middle Ages the King
personally distributed the charity, pre-
facing it by the act of washing the feet
of the poor; but after the reign of
James II. this act of humiliation was
discontinued, and the act of charity
deputed to the Lord Almoner.
The name Maundy Thursday is by
no means universal. In the north of
England it is called "Shere- Thursday,
''Shere" from the old vernacular
skier pain or suffering; and the
Welsh and ManX still designate it the
Thursday of Blasphemy," and in
go nmemoration of the institution of
tnr Lords supper it mas been called
the Birthday of the Chalice." The
Catholic Church calls it "HoIy-Thurs-
day" and the English Prayer book
simply Thursday before Easter"
The Friday of Holy Week has many
names, among them Long" ''Black"
and Hope" but none so beautiful as
our English Good Friday" The
church makes it q season of profound
individual humiliation for sin, and the
only superstition in connection with it
which deties theological eXorcism is the
practice of eating hot-cross buns for
breakfast and keeping one for ''luck. "
The Saturday between Good-Friday
and Easter Sunday is called Vigil Of
Easter, or "Holy Saturday" Ithas been
in all ages an important day. The early
Christians believed that the second
coming of Christ would occur upon the
eve of Easter. 1t is favorite time
both in Europe and America for the
baptism of young communicates and
converts; and until within the last
century all the fires in the church were
put out and rekindled from flint, and
the churches were lit with what was,
and in the Romish Church is still called
to this day, ''paschal tapers." On the
evening Of this day in the middle dis
tricts OF Ireland great preparations are
made for the finishing of Lent. At
eight o'clock the housewife puts into
the pot a good fat hen and dainty piece
of bacon, and woe be to the person who
should taste it before the cock crows
Attwelve o'clock is heard the clapping
of hands and joyous laughter, mingled
with the Irish phrase which signifies
"Out with Lent" All this merriment
for 4 few hours, often lasting till time
to see the sun dance in honor of the
Resurrection, which is apractice not
uncommon in both Ireland and Eng
land; and happy is the lad or lass who
is so fortunate as to catch the first re-
lection of the suns rays upon spring
or pail of water. This in some parts
of England is called "lambs playing
And those who are curious enough
may see this custom in full sway in
any Of the Irish shanties of Manhattan
Island.
Easter Sunday, the birthday of
Christ's glory, as Christmas is of His
humiliation, was called by the early
Christians "Paschal Sabbath" from
the Passover to which it corresponds;
later it received the name Of The Sun
day of JOY" except in the Eastern
Church. where it has always been known
as bright Sunday"
1.-The Lord has risen"-.'He is risen
indeed" were the glad greetings Chris
tians universally exchanged in those
young centuries which touched the feet
of Christ, and although the Western
Church has abandoned this beautiful
custom, it is still in existence in the
East, and to this day, wherever the
Church of Rome exists, the fathers of
the Church are aroused on Easter morn
inc by the church warden or messenger
with ''Surrexit Dominus we're, - to which
they answer, "Alleluia."
Many of the social customs formerly
associated with Easter, and not inappro-
pirate to the time which gave them
birth. are now disappearing, but the
peasant hearts of England, with many
an American, still cherish such as the
eating of tansy pudding, pasch-eggs,
and CANNON of bacon. The first
commentaries the bitter herbs of the
Passover, and the pasch-eggs, or Easter
eggs, are familiar to all. Neither the
papists nor the English Church allow
the eating of eggs during Lent. Hence
the old proverb, "An egg at Easter, ="
and formerly on the Saturday following
"Wednesday the scholars of Oxford
took leave of this food at what was
called the egg feast. AT what precise
date the Easter-egg found its way into
England is not known, but one of the
earliest references to it takes us back
to Edward the First's time. And till
within the last few years an Easter-egg
that was not colored or decked in some