Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-21

! picted as issuing from Cueph, the
| world-creating spirit, and IL has been
| con jectured as symbolical either OF the
| whole universe or OF the earth itself.
The yolk represents the world, the
white the atmosphere, and the she'll
the crystalline sphere in which the
stars are placed. In another hypothe-
sis the egg simply represents tho vital
principle as yet undeveloped, and
therefore corresponds to the chaos of
| the early cosmogonies. In this con-
nection we can more readily ap-
| preciate the parallel that has
been drawn between the eggs and
the ark, as both contained "the rudi-
ments OF future world" Conjectural,
as all explanations OF the meaning OF
these Pagan symbols must be, they are
none the less interesting, aud it Is, at
any rate, possible that the mystery
which still attaches to Easter eggs may
have come down to us even from the
days of druidical superstition. We
can, however, also trace connection
between the custom Of presenting eggs
and the early Hebrew rites. In many
places these eggs are known as paste"
''pasche," or ''pace" eggs. Our Easter
is known among Roman nations by
names similarly derived. Thus in
French il is ''pacque;" in Ital-
ian, "pasqua;p in Spanish. 'pascua:n
all OF which can be traced
through the Latin and Greek from
the Chaldee or Aramnan form of He
brew name of the Passover festival. The
Jews adopted the egg as type of their
departure from the land of Egypt; and
it was used rs part of the furniture with
the Paschal lamb. According to another
account the Jewish wife. at the Feast of
the Passover, placed upon the table pre-
pared for that purpose hard boiled eggs,
the symbols OF a bird called Ziz, con-
cerning which the Rabbis have q
thousand fables. Blodetti speaks of
marble eggs being found in the tombs of
ST. Theodore, st. Balbina and others;
and the inference that they may
have been regarded as SYMBOL
cal of the resurrection is OBJ
vious enough. In Italy large
number of eggs are sent to be blessed
Mt Easter, after which they are carried
home and placed in Il large dish in the
center of the table. All visitors during
Easter week are invited to eat an
Easter egg, and a refusal to do so would
be regarded as a great rudeness. These
eggs are sometimes painted in various
colors. In Russia on Easter day it is
customary for friends to visit one an
other and exchange eggs, on which oc-
casions they also drink a great deal Of
brandy. The poorer people formerly
carried eggs dyed red. while the
richer folks had theirs elaborately
gilded.
In Washington curious custom ex-
lists of having all the children of the
city assemble on the sloping lawn of the
white house on Easter Monday and roll
eggs down the grass to the serpentine
walk on the Potomac side. 1t is very
pretty sight, and the weather is gener-
ally pleasant about Easter time-the
president and other inmates viewing
the proceeding from the white house
windows. Few, perhaps, know
that this idea can be traced IN
the christian children of Meso-
potamia, who used to procure as
many eggs as they could and
cover them in many ways. They then
amused themselves by striking the eggs
was broken first became the property of
the owner of the egg which struck it.
This ceremony is survival OF the re-
joicing which took place at the termina-
,tion of the Lenten fast. The old prov
erb. San egg at EASTER" is thus eX-
planned, because the liberty 10 eat eggs
began again at the festival. 1t is eX-
plaiued that the practice OF decorating
and painting eggs at Easter arose from
bDe pleasure Wnlcn WIS OCcaSlOneQ Dy
returning to this favorite food after SO
long an abstinence from it during the
Lenten season.
AS on Ash Wednesday. the churchs
enforced abstinence from meat and
mundane pleasures begins, so on the
the fortieth day(uot counting Sundays),
when ends the season of Lent, it is lit
tie wonder that the fasters should re-
joice. II is singular how pertinaciously
that number, forty, enters into relig-
ious observance among diversified ma
tions; but this particular inclusion Of
days is certainly in commemoration of
Christ'S forty day fast in the wilder
ness Matthew iv:2. J, though it's rela-
tion to the crucitiXion Good Friday,
and the resurrection Easter Sunday is
not at once apparent, any more than
that il is con venient.
In Omaha nearly all the churches
are observing Easter in befitting man
ner. The floral decorations, choir num-
bers and themes of ministers, to say
nothing Of the new Easter bonnet, are
all paying tribute to the festal day.
MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.