Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-04-22
SUNDAY OF JOY.
SOME CURIOUS EASTER GUS
TOMS.
How tis& <sottsess@of sprfAg Is WeIcomed
in Different Countries--The Imagi-
nary Moon That Regulates
the Coming of Easter
The Feast of
Eggs

Eggs.
Easter Sunday, or as it was formerly
called, the Sunday of JOY" like many
other ceremonies which have come down
to us from earlier times, has been chang
ed from its original, and to some extent
pagan, character to areligious observance
until now, more especially limited TO the
Romsh and Episcopal churches, it is the
festival of the resurrection of Christ.
In olden times there was feast of the
Teut6nic goddess Ostera Gn the Anglo
Saxon, Easter, whence naturally comes
our Easter), the goddess of spring, and
the Anglo Saxon name for April was Eas-
ter month. The pagan worship of Ostera
was strongly rooted in Northern Ger
many, and was brought into England by
the Saxons; and the early missionaries,
finding it impossible to abolish it, endeav-
ored as with some other ceremonies, SO
far as was possible, to change it to a
Christian festival, and to give to the rites
religious significance This was easily
done in this instance; for joy at the rising
of the sun, at the bursting of spring from
the DQiIJ,s uSz az ion of
the natural world, could quite easily -pr
changed to JOY at the rising of the sun OF
righteousness, at the resurrection OF
Christ, his triumph over death and the
grave Easter has often been called the
Christian Passover, because the Jewish
Passover was celebrated, according to the
Mosaic law, on the 18th day of the month
of Abb, that is, within a day or two be
fore or after the vernal equinox.
Although the church has always been
united as to why Easter should be cele-
brated there has been wide difference
of opinion as to when it should be OBJ
served This controversy grew out of
diversity Of custom, the Judaizing Chris
tians keeping their paschal feast on the
same day the Jews keep their Passover
the 14th of Nisan-the Hebrew month
corresponding to our March or April
while the churches of the west, in re
mem berance that Christ arose on Sunday
had their festival on the Sunday follow
| ing the day observed by the eastern
| church. This discussion was kept up un
| til the time of Constantine, who CA. ID
325) brought the subject before the Ecu
| menical council of Nice, from which tim
! to this Easter Sunday has been every
| where on one and the same day-the frs
| Sunday after the full moon which hap
! pens on or next after the 21st of March
| and if the full moon comes upon Sun
| day, Easter day is the Sunday after. Thi
| decision was in favor of the western us
! age, that body holding that the Sunday
| after the 14th of April was proper for The
| commemoration of the resurrection o.
| Jesus Christ The Introduction of the
| Gregorian calendar made some changes
necessary, and the ecclesiastical authori
ties at last decided to regulate the time o.
| Easter by the moon-not, however, the
! actual moon. nor what is called by as
tronomers the ''mean moon," but al
! imaginary moon, whose movements art
so arranged that it follows the real moor
by some two or three days.
Easter, which is now preceded by Len
in early days was introduced by fasting
| on one day only--the Friday i'll Passion
week, known as Good Friday; by and by
the time was extended to forty hours, II
token that Christ had lain that long il
the tomb, and from this it was at las
prolonged to forty days-the season o
| the temptation in the wilderness. sTh'
primitive Christians on the morning O
| this day saluted each other with th'
words, ''Christ is arisen,' to which th'
person addressed answered, "Christ i
arisen indeed, and hath appeared t.
Simon custom which is still retained
in the Greek church. Indeed, says al
eminent foreign writer, call the ceremo
MES attending the observance of Easte
were at first exceedingly simple, but II
the early part of the Fourth century
decided change was brought about. Con
stantine, naturally vain and fond of pa
rade, signalized his love of display b.
celebrating this festival with eXtraordlna
ry pomp. Vigils, or night watches, wer
instituted for Easter eve, at which tn
people remained in the churches unit
midnight. The tapers, which it had beel
before customary to burn at this time
did not satisfy his majesty, but huge pil
lars of wax were used instead; not onl
in the churches, but all over the city
were they placed, that the brilliancy O
the night should far exceed the light Q
day Easter Sunday was noticed wit
most elaborate ceremonials, the pope OFF
ciating at mass, with every imposing &C
cessory that could be devised. -
During the interval between Easter an
Pentecost, a period of fifty days, tn
.I | were uOb OApCNeOA w PAo
kneeling, for this attitude was considere
as token of humility, but rather wit
outstretched arms, and faces looking
heaven, at this season, when only song
of Joy and gratitude were expected
Both Easter and Pentecost Sunday wer
accounted fortunate days on which
baptize children, and the interval iyin
between these days as favorable for MAJ
riages.
Various ceremonies, spirits and supe
stitions have in time past characterize
the day, and still are many of the ol
! Easter customs practiced in dlfferel
parts of the world. That of making pre-
ents of colored eggs was at one time a
most universal, eggs being censidert
symbolical of the revival of nature, IL
springing forth of life.
Passion week in Paris may be terme
the "feast of eggs" Every good Cath
lie notonly fasts every Friday throughol
) the year, but for a week together at Ea
ter. The church does not allow any fes
food; but eggs may be eaten in any qua
tity. On the first day of Passion wee
everybody presents everyone else WI
some little gift emblematical of an eg
r in some shape or other, which is know
as PaschaI eggs. Among people so 1
genious in trifies as the Parisians the o
| portunity is not lost, so that egg shape
2 articles are to be had in every conce1v
: BILE variety of materials. One would thIr
, that the once imperial eagle OF Fran