The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-05-01


large retinue of equestrians he rode to
the church in solemn state, where hewas
met 1t the porch by the priest and
treated by him with much pomp andrew
erence. After service was ended, the
King repaired with the same formality
to . house prepared for his reception,
where a grand banquet was given. in
keeping with the pseudo monarch's as
sumed dignity. After dinner he was
disrobed and Immediately descended to
his former level. Probably this Gus
tom was of French origin. 1t is stated
that as the Emperor Charles the Fifth
was once passing through a village OF
Arragon, on Easter day, he was ac-
costed by a peasant who had been
chosen the Paschal, or Easter King.
decorated with a tin crown and spit
in his hand for scepter. He demand
ed of the Emperor that he should take
off his hat to him. '.for. sir" said he.
sit is who am King" To which his
sovereign wittily replied: much good
may it do you. my friend; You have
chosen an exceedingly troublesome en-
ployment."
EASTER EGGS.
The use of eggs at Easter was uni
versal, and is a custom far from being
extinct. What can be more common
place than an egg. And yet the egg in
all ages and in every country has been
the subject of poetical myths and
legends. The ancient finns believed
that mystic bird laid an egg on the
lap of Vaimalnou, who Matched it in
his bosom. He let it fall into the water
and it broke; the lower portion of the
shell formed the earth, the upper the
sky; the liquid white became the sun
and the yolk the moon. while the
little fragments of broken shell
were changed into stars. En-
glish and Irish nurses in
struct children when they
have eaten boiled egg always to push
the spoon through the bottom of the
shell in order to ..hinder the witches
from making boat of it, 1t is
difficult to give the precise origin of the
graceful custom, so universal in France
and Germany, and more or less preva-
lent throughout the world. of offering
eggs at the festival of Easter. The
Persians present each other with col
ored eggs on the 10th of March and
following days, when they hold their
great festival of the solar new year,
and the Russians do the same at the
festival of Easter. At the feast of
Passover Jewish women are wont to
place hard eggs on table prepared
for that purpose, as emblematical of
their departure from Egypt. To the
and theology of the Egyp-
tians, Persians and other heather ma
tons. indeed, may perhaps be traced
the practice of distributing and pre-
senting eggs at Easter. Among these
people an egg was regarded as en-
of the universe, as we'll as
the renovation of man after the deluge.
With Christians it is a highly signifi-
can't symbol; in an earthly sense it is
the germ of fecundity and abundance,
md we wish our friends all uhe bless
ings contained within the slender shell
when we offer this gift, whose fragility
represents that of happiness here
below; and. then, In spiritual sense it
IS symbolic, inasmuch as it retains
within itself the elements of future
life, and therefore is a most meet en-
blem of the resurrection of Christ.
The Romans commenced their repast
with an egg, whence the proverbial
phrase, ab 600 asqua al mala-s'from
the egg to the apples'-and we still
say. to express going back to the verv
beginning ab oro. In
Christian countries, from the Fourth
Century, the church prohibited the use
of eggs during the forty days of Lent;
but as the heretical hens did not cease
to lay. q large quantity OF eggs was
found to have accumulated at the end
of the period of abstinence. These
were generally given to the children,
and in order to render them more at
tractive they were dyed with gay colors
or otherwise ornamented. A favorite
game was to knock two eggs together
and whichever broke became the prop
erty of him who held the other. OF
course this would not profit much If the
eggs were in = fluid state, and thence
came the custom Of boiling them hard.
In some remote districts Of France it
is still customary for the priest OF the
parish to go round to each house at
Easter and bestow on it his blessing.
In return he receives eggs, both plain
and painted. In these same regions a
belief still fingers that during Passion
week the bells of the churches set out
for Rome in order to get themselves
blessed BY the Pope. During the
period of mourning the bells are sad
and mute in their belfries, and the
peasants firmly believe that they have
started on their pious pilgrimage. and
will return to set forth d joyous peal
on /. the morning of the Resur-
rection. People do not come back
from SO long journey with
ont bringing presents to good
children. The Joy bells then always
come first and bear with them various
beautiful playthings. Easter is like q
second New Years Day. The peasant
bestows on his child an egg dyed with
SCARLET: like the cloak Of Roman car
dinal and supposed to come from Rome.
At the sound Of the rejoicing bells on
Easter morning fair angels with azure
wings are believed. to descend from
Heaven. bearing baskets Of eggs, which
they deposit in the houses OF the faith
fuL Formerly, at the approach Of Eas-
her all the hen roosts of France were
ransacked for the largest eOOs which