Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-04
THE EASTER EGG.
Pagan Myths and Customs Said TO Have
Given Rise to Egg Rolling.
To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:


The egg myth has given expression to three
different underlying ideas: That which is sug-
gested in the egg decorations of Greek archi-
lecture, and perhaps in the egg symbols orna-
menting the statues Of certain eastern deites:
the cosmical egg. symbolic of the creation of
the universe, a myth common to China, India,
Egypt, Greece and parts of our own country;
and, finally. the solar egg, the latter an idea as
widely diffused the preceding. While the
cosmical egg is the conception Of highly de-
veloped intellect, the solar egg. in which the
sun is simply and actually regarded as an egg
laid by the sky, which is also conceived of
as great bird, is an idea readily grasped by
the simplest minds, and as readily accepted as
accounting for the various phases of the suns
diurnal and annual motion.
With the solar egg is associated an immense
cycle OF stories throughout the known world,
OF which our Jack the Giant Killer, who steals
the hen which lays the golden sun egg, is a
fair type. This story of the different adven-
lures OF heroes to release the sun egg from the
clutches of the ogre night in some one of its
many forms is familiar to us all.
Another phase of solar egg is that in which
the sun, having lain hid during the winter
months, as in the far north, or lost its usual
heat, as in our own climate, returns again in
strength and health in the spring to WITTY the
warmth-giving rays.
THE EASTER EGG.
1t is to this department of the solar egg myth
that belongs our Easter egg, reaching far hack
into antiquity, and it is probable that in COM
memoratOn of the resurrection of the sun out
OF Its winter nest the egg festival of Easter was
celebrated by the northern nations The color
ing OF the egg IS also in analogy to the bright
color of the sun, and rolling of the egg down
the green banks only repetition of what the
great solar egg was supposed to do on its reap
pearance. rolling over the armament above W.
on the return of spring. There are many
analogous ceremonies of the rolling of hoops
OF fre and the like at this very period which
point to the probability of the theory. And a
beautiful one it IS although of heather origin; a
symbol which the Latin church has sanctified in
service for the blessing of eggs in a ritual OF
Pope Paul the V, in which the benediction
prayer Is: "Bless, o Lord. we beseech Thee.
TINS Thy creature of eggs that it may become a
wholesome sustenance of Thy faithful servants.
eating il in thankfulness to Thee, on account of
the resurrection of our Lord
IhlS ritual Is in itself evidence that the
church merely recognized a custom anterior to
Its own appearance; that its only defense was
to appropriate the Easter egg to itself as
symbol of the resurrection of our Lord by
baptizing it, as it were, into the Christian re-
ligion.
There is also an old miracle play in which
the disciples at Emmaus are represented as
eating up the Easter eggs showing how quickly
1t adapted itself to the new dress.
In England the eggs were called pace-eggs,
corruption from pascfd, the Latin form of
the word passover-our Easter.
THE EGG BUSH.
will not attempt to give you an account of
the Easter egg customs, for their name is
legion, but will only mention one which have
seen in New England, curious because the
only other instance l know of is in Ireland it
Is the egg bush, which is bush of any kind
decorated with blown eggs, the egg being
passed over the end of the twig through one Of
the holes by which it is blown and left on the
bush. Colored eggs and bits of rag are also
used. The bush is decorated about the middle
OF Lent. You will find mention of similar
bush i'll Miss McLean's Cape Cod Folks.
THE FESTIVAL.
Now for the goddess Easter or Oastera, who
has given her name to the season and to the
eggs. Her festival occurred in April. Proba-
bly, her sacred animal-that which was offered
to her-was the hare. 1t has been supposed
that eggs were offered her. and hence the GUS
tom. But we have evidence of any such
Offering audit is even difficult to ascertain what
was her precise character. 1t is much more
likely that the Eostera feast fell in with some
regular sun god feast at the beginning of
spring, and that the egg. which would in such
case have been suggestive and appropriate
offering, has thus come to be associated with
her name, and singularly enough. with the
hare. for as a child in Germany | have been
sent out to look for the Easter egg in the
hare's nest. l have not bothered you with au-
thorities and reasons, bidding those who are
curious in these matters to look into the au-
thorities for the dry bones, which have tried
to articulate for you. z.