Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-17
farious Ancient Customs-The Sepulcher
Show-Eastcr King-The Universal
Use of observation-disclosures
A Costly Curiosity.

A Costly Curiosity.
All Christian churches concur in re-
garding Easter Day as the most i'm
portant and central of the great festi-
walls OF the year. 1t derives it's name,
some think, from the Saxon oster, to
rise; while others maintain that it is
named after the Saxon goddess Easter,
who was always w%orshiped at this sea-
son.
An angry and prolonged controversy
arose in the middle of the Second Cen
fury between the Eastern and Western
churches as to the proper day on
which to commemorate the resurrec-
ton. The former celebrated it on the
same day as the Jews solemnized their
Passover; the latter, in order to dis
tinguish the Christian Easter from the
Jewish Paschal feast, observe it on the
Sunday subsequent. With the view of
bringing about an agreement on this
vexed point, Polycarp, Bishop of Smyr-
ma, visited Rome, where he held a con-
ference with Anicetus, Bishop of that
See. One adduced the practice of
Saint Philip and Saint John in support
of his theory; the other supported his
view by reference to that of Saint Pc
ter and Saint Paul. Thus the matter
ended. Some time afterward, Victor,
Bishop Of Rome, ~endeavored, but I'M
successfully, to compel the Greek
Church to conform to the practice of
the Latin, which practice was con-
frmed in the Fourth Century by the
Ecumenical Council Of Nice.
Strange to say, the churches OF
Britain and Ireland adhered to
the Eastern mode, until Osuwy, King
of Northumbria, in A. d., 664, gave
his royal verdict in favor of a change.
The time of keeping Easter now is the
first Sunday after the full moon, which
happens upon on next after the 21st
of March. Should the fullmoon occur
Sunday after. This festival can never
occur earlier than the 22nd of March.
1t fell on that day in 1878, and will not
do so again till the year 2295.
THE sEPULCHER SHOW.
Of all the Easter practices, perhaps
the most remarkable was the Sepul-
cher Show. There was an ancient ira
dition that the second coming of
Christ would occur upon the eve of
this festival, and hence arose the cere-
mony Of Making and Watching the
Sepulcher, which continued in England
until the Reformation. At the period
referred to. the only theaters for the
populace were the churches, while the
monks were the chief actors, SO that at
Easter plays were prepared either for
These were entirely of a religious char
acter, and illustrated some event in
the history of the Founder of the Chris
tian faith. One OF the most imposing
spectaclcs must have been in those
churches where the '.Resurrection of
the Sepulcher" vas performed, the
d%ranaatas persong being monks, clothed
i'll habil. ments suited to the characters
they assumed, The lights at the Sepul-
cher Show formed no trivial part of the
attraction. One massive taper, called
the Paschal, was lighted in each
church. That at Westminster Abbey, in
1867, weighed 300 pounds; that at
Durham Cathedral was made of pure
wax, square in shape, and extended to
within half a dozen feet of the roof.
Every church in London had a sepul-
cher.
EASTER MEEltIMENT.
J Strange, indeed, were the different
forms of merriment practiced at this
joyous season. In the thirteenth cen.
fury, whenever an ecclesiastic appeared
in the streets between Easter and Pen.
tecost, he was sure to be seized, and
could only obtain his liberty by the
payment of a fine. The cause assigned
for this wanton folly was the seizure OF
the Apostles by the.Jcws after Christ's
passion. Stnning Jews and otherwise
prosecuting that raoe at Easter formed
repulsive modes of diversion, more es-
pecially with the P%arisians. In some
French towns it was the practice to lay
hold of a Jew, lead him to the nearest
church and openly buffet him on the
face.
The merriment so predominant at
Easter seems to have pervaded all
ranks and conditions, not excepting
oven the priests, who, in Germany, dur
ing the sixteenth century. used to in
tcrsperse their sermons with facetious
stories.
AS-ER
What was denominated the Easter
King was probably the most singular
of these festive ceremonies in England.
We only read of its being pract,ced at
Lostw.thiel, in Cornwall. The Tree
holders of that town and nan having
elected one among them as the king,
he was gaily attired and gallantIy
mounted. with n crown on his head and
. sceptey in his hand, while a sword