The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-04-04
EASTER CUSTOMS.

L
niversary of the Resurrection.
An Easter card bearing the appro-
pirate inscription, "If We then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which
are above" seems its own excuse for be-
ing; but what special significance at
taches to the custom, SO general across
the water and apparently growing in
favor here, of the presentation of eggs
on Easter Day?
The origin of this custom, like many
another. dates long way back. 1t
seems to have had it's rise among the
Persians. This people have for ages
| been accustomed to make little gifts at
the opening of their New Year, which
corresponds in time to our Easter, and
through all the centuries gilt and col
ored eggs have remained quite the fash
ionable present The Persians are a
staid people and do not consider it
necessary to have a new 'craze" every
other year. Then, as the egg is con.
sidered symbol of the universe, the
gift of an egg means something in Per-
STA, indicating unlimited depths of re-
gard in the giver. The early Christians
retained some of the old Pagan customs,
clothing them with a new meaning, and
the egg became to them an emblem of
the resurrection. In the ritual of Pope
Paul V. is this prayer: '.Bless. o Lord,
these eggs, that they may be salutary
food for thy faithful servants if they
consume them in gratitude for the
resurrection of the Saviour"
Others explain the prominence of the
egg in Easter celebrations in quite a
different way. They say that, during
was forbidden during Lent, and conse-
quently the people were compelled to
consume as many as possible when Lent
expired.
Gilt and colored eggs are distributed
in Russia on Easter Sunday. custom
which obtains among members of the
imperial family and the court. The
Easter kiss is also observed at the close
of mass on Easter Day, the Emperor set
ting common mortals the example by
kissing one of his officers. 1t would
be delightful to believe that this
interesting exhibition of fraternal
affection was prompted by a gen.
uine feeling of goodwill toward |
men, but perhaps it is too much to |
expect genuine kindliness of feeling in |
the high officials of government like
the Russian. In Italy the people take
their Easter eggs to the churches that |
they may be blessed by the clergy, and
in Germany, Poland and Russia various |
viands are taken TO the churches to be |
blessed.
In some countries Easter Day is in
vested with certain prophetic elements,
so that fulfilling stated conditions, one
IS permitted to take peep into the
future. Egg-hunting is a sport in
Alsace. egg-rolling in some sections Of
Germany, and eggcracking is said to
prevail in many countries. We read
that the latter custom was brought from
Holland to New York and was duly
md vigorously practiced with dyed eggs
md wholesale cracking for nearly two
centuries The use of the egg at Easter
,ide extends to several Oriental coun-
.ries. and in one of these the eggs are
,olored red as a memorial of Christ's
he'd blood.
Any sportive comnemoration of the
lay seems unsuitable, and the bare
bought of it is somewhat of a shock to
he feelings of one accustomed to view
he day from purely religious stand
'oint. Holy week and Easter take the
lace of the ancient annual feast which
the birthday of the
ewish nation and the saving of their
from the destroyer. AS we
cad of the paschal lamb our thoughts
re turned to the One of whom this
amb was type, and The Lord is
isen!' becomes to US the ''fairest of the
air. high thoughts that light the
'aster dawn."-E- f Backup, in In
nrior