The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-31
TIE QUEEN OF FESTIVALS
History of the Origin and Observance
of the Worlds Greatest Day.
The Folk Lore Connected with Easter-Prep-
arations for Concentrating Goods
Sunday in Our City Churches.

Teutonic my thology. To the Germans le was
known Ostern. and to the Anglo-Saxons as
Eastre or Eostre q name derived from Eostre
or Ostura, the Anglo Saxon goddess of spring,
to whom the fourth month"; answering to our
April, thence called Eostur monath, dedi-
Gated. The name of this goddess comes from
the Saxon oster, to rise To the French, Easter
is known as Paques. to the Italians rs Pasdua,
and to the Spanish as Pascua. all OF which are
derived from the Latin Pascha and the Greek
Parxa, which are Chaldee ArmamRan forms
of the Hebrew word Pesach, sienifying the
Passover" by which meant the passing
over of the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt by the destroying angel when he
smote the Egyptians. commemorated by the
great annual feast often spoken of in the
Scriptures as the Feast of the Passover
Easter. which from it's earliest day has been
styled the Queen of Festivals" was the per-
petuation of this feast by the frat Christians,
who, from their close connection with the jew
ish church, naturally continued to observe jew
ish festivals. Thus the Passover, ennobled by
the thought of Christ tho true psschal sacrifi-
cial lamb-the first fruits from the dsad-be-
came the Christian Easter
But there quickly sprang up between Chris
tians of Jewish and gentle descent a long
tinued and bitter controversy to the proper
time for the observance of this festival. The
former insisted that Lent should terminate at
the same time the Paschai fast of the Jews.
to which 1T was analogous, on the 14th day of
the moon, and that Easter should Immediately
follow. without regard to the day of the week.
GENTLE Christians, on the contrary, maintained
that the first day of the week should be observed
as that of our Lords resurrection, and that the
preceding Friday should be kept as the occasion
of His crucifxion without regard the day of
the month By reason of their observance of
the 14th day of the moon, the former class were
derisively styled quarto decimani fourteen
day men. by the latter. Who also stigmatized
them heretics
1t was the church at Rome that gradually
harmonlzed these differences The Council of
Nicala, called by the Emperor Constantine A. d.
325 partly TO settle this controversy, finally
agreed that Easter shall hereafter be kept on
and the day throughout the world,
and none shall hereafter follow the blindness of
The Jews" 1t was also the church at Rome
which established the rule that the day for the
celebration of our Lords resurrection should be
the first Sunday after the fourteenth day of the
calendar moon, which happens next after
March 81, the vernal equinox. thus allowing it
TO occur early March %. as late April
25- This old Roman rule is still observed
throughout tho Christian world. though, the
churches of Russia and Greece, and, indeed, the
Oriental churches generally, still observe the
old Julian calendar instead of the more modern
Gregorian one, their Easter occurs sometimes
before and sometimes after that of the Western
church, though very rarely, as in 1865. it falls
upon the same day.
Easter customs, sports and superstitions afford
wide field of interest. While many of them
have existed almost from the first celebration
or this festival, and are found among Christians
of all natonalities, there others which
peculiar to peoples ana places. In the middle
districts of ireland there is a superstition that
the sun dances in the heavens on Easter morn
ing. About o'clock of the previous even
Jug, called Holy Saturday" the wives of pros
ferrous farmers place many fat hen and choice
piece of JUICY bacon in the family pot and WOO
betide the luckless wight who ventures to taste
before cock crows. AT midnight among uni
cries of tout with the Lent" Then. after short
period of merriment, the household retires to
rest rising again by o'clock in the morning ITO
the dance" Nor is this superstition con-
fired to the lower or middle classes, for have
be Z assured by persons of wealth and culture
that they have repeatedly seen the sun dance on
Easter morning.
The use of flowers to decorate churches at
Easter mas been in vogue from time immemo-
rial. and they were originally intended as direct
emhlems of the resurrection. having risen in
the spring from the earth, in which, during the
severe winter they seem to have been buried.
There is an old superstition that unless some
new article of dress is worn Easter misfor-
tune will be sure to follow throughout the year.
as stated by the following conplet in Poor
Robins Almanac"
At Easter let your clothes be new,
Or else be sure you will it
An old English name for Easter was Goods
Sunday" In Twlckenhanl, England, it was long
customary to divide two large cakes among the
young people in the parish church, but in 1915
il was directed by act of Parliament that thence
forward there should be bought, in lieu of the
cakes. loaves of bread for the parish poor and
for many years it was customary TO throw loeves
from the church tower, to be scrambled for by
the poor children on the Thursday following
Easter
Among the peasantry Of Spain il ia the custom
to choose an Easter King, and good story is
told of Charles V. that during of his jour
neys he encountered one of these royal person
ages with tin crown his head and spit in
his hand tor scepter. Wholly ignorant of the
real Kings rank. the peasant ordered him rath-
roughly to take off his hat to the King of the
Easter
Your Majesty" said the Prince. uncovering
with profound obeisance, IF you find royalty
as troublesome as do, you will soon be glad 70
abdicate
Abstinence from moat on Easter Sunday will
avert fevers during the ensuing year. In GER
tain parts of England the first dish brought to
table on that day is red herring. fashioned by
the cook after the likeness of riding on
horseback. piece OF bacon is then eaten
show adherence of Judaism. The usual East
morning salutation among the primitive
Christians Christ is risen,p to which the
respor was ''He is ii en- indeed" or else And
ha:h appeared unto Simon"
In Warviekshire, Lancashire and some
other countirs OF England there is old
tom called hitting" or ''heaving" The men lift
heave the woman Easter Monday and the
women do likewise TO the mer the following
dav. This lifting or heaving is performed by
two men or two women ciasplng each others
wrists in such way to form, with the backs
of their hands. a seat upon which the person
be heaved Sis down. He or she is then raised
and lowered several times. and often carried
considerable distance. This was intended to be
svmbolical Of the Savior's rising from the
grave.
Apropos of this custom a. capital anecdote is
told of the late Dean Stanley. While stopping
at the inn of Lancashire town one Easter
Tuesday. three or four buxom women entered
his apartment and announced that they had
come 10 lift him.
TO lift me-" exclaimed the good man what
do vou meant
why. your Grace, we've come TO lift you be-
it is Easter Tuesday. The men lifted all
us women yesterday and to-day US lifts the
men,
1t was some time before the great churchman
could be made to fully understand the nature OF
the custom, and then he gladly bought the right
to lift him. from mis- fair visitors by paying
them half a crown apiece.
A century or more ago the English clergy and
1aity used 10 play ball in the churches for tansy
cakes at Easter-tide. This custom has long been
abandoned. but tansy cakes and puddings
still favorite Easter delicaeies in many parts of