The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-04-05
EASTER LEGENDS.
The sprine-TIde Festival of All Ages.
Boston Transcript. I

Most of the customs and traditions con-
nected with this festival are an inheritance
from our heather ancestors To devout
churchmen and women of today it may seem
sacrilegious to associate the feasts of savages
with the death and resurrection Of our Lord I;
yet this is what was done by the early
church fathers. They found that certain
customs had too strong hold on the people
to be easily effaced. therefore they fixed some
holy day upon the same date and observed
it with similar rites. With no holy day were
more of the quo er old customs combined
than with Easter.
The Egyptian Osiris was probably the
prototype of the Latin goddess Aurora-the
Dawn-who was known to the Germans and
Saxons as Ostara or Eastre. The latter god
dess was often worshipped with fire, proba-
bly, as an emblem of the dawn-O sterfeuer.
The East has from very early times had
significance not given to the other points of
the compass. Pagan affairs were placed in
the eastern part of the temples to facilitate
the worship of the rising sun. 1t is not
strange that barbarous nations should wor-
ship the sun, which gave them life with lit
tie labor, and should therefore celebrate the
spring equinox, which indicated the new
life Of Nature. April was known to the
Anglo-SaXonS as Est0r-m0nath, and SINH
lar name still prevails in Germany.
With many nations the new year began
with the lengthening.d. Us Of spring. After
the long nights Of winter, its coming was
the occasion of great joy. Bonfires were
kinGled on every hill. At later date, the
churches were lighted with enormous ''pas-
chal tapers." Present were exchanged, the
most common being the egg, which was SYM
bolical of the new life of Nature. New
clothes were donned, in Difference to the
spring apparel of Nature.
CorneilIe lie Bruyn. traveller, who in 1904
witnessed the celebration Of the new year
among the Persians, says that this celebra-
ton lasts many DAYS, and marks victory
gained over the "Giants of the North that
is, the northern frosts, which at this season
are conquered by the entrance of the sun
into the sign Of Aries. The Greeks represent
the same natural occurrence by the victory of
Hercules over the Amazons and the conquest
of their girdle.
The early fathers saw in the egg a fit en-
blem of the resurrection. Another point of
connection with Easter was that its appar-
ent lifelessness gave warrant for its use as
food during Lent; only the most rigid pro-
hlbited its use and with them it served as
the transition food at the beginning and end
of the fast.
A generation ago in northern Europe, the
feast on Easter Day began by each member
of the family or guest in turn, sharing with
the host slice of hard-boiled egg.
Blessing the egg" was common custom
in many countries, servants bringing dishes
OF eggs to the early mass, to receive the ben
ediction of the priest. On Good Friday GER
tain ones are recorded as having ''offered
unto Christ, eggs and bacon, to be in his ia
vor till Easter Day was past
Many of the old Easter customs have gone
like the wassail bowl and gule log of Christ
have firm hold on h EsSe 5hin PSI hesi t
There is pretty, legend to account for
THAR origin that a bird a ft11 lox,
over Christ's tomb, and as reward for its
devotion its eggs were ever after decorated
Another story is that of an exiled lady
who amused herself and children by decor
ing the words, Hope in God" fell into the
hands OF soldier, who. by chance gave it to
the captive husband and father He recog-
nized the hand writing and at length this
fragile trail brought about the reunion of the
family. In memory Of this event, they ever
after kept Easter in like manner, and thus
the custom of decorated eggs was introduced.
An old custom in one county in England
was throwing apples in to the church yard
after the Easter service; those lately mar
ried threw three times as many the other.
In some sections, the town corporation
Joined with great dignity with others in a
game Of ball on Easter Monday. This has
survived in the Fast Day games, but in some
villages twelve old women were always
chosen for the yearly game.
EOluoLly WdIWlCk COUNTY LU6 young
men OF the parish Joined in the pursuit of
hare. Ii they could catch it and bring it to
the parsOn before ten o'clock a. M, on Easter
Monday, he was bound to give them calfs
head, their breakfast, hundred eggs and
small sum of money.
The Germans have adapted the hare as an
Easter emblem. These swift creatures were
supposed to draw the chariot of Eostre, the
goddess OF spring, as cats drew that of
Freya.
They were also sacred to this deity be-
cause OF their rapid multiplication, and per-
maps were thus in the popular fancy trans
formed into reproducing animals.
with many savage tribes the hare is type
OF the moon, and this may throw light upon
It's connection with Easter, since the date of
the festival depends upon the movements of
the moon.
In this connection may be mentioned a
legend not strictly belonging to this season.
upon the moon devolved the duty of telling
men, that they, like herself, shall live again
a1ter apparent death. She sends a swift
Deast, the hare, as her messenger, but he
lolters or forgets his errend and the moon
strikes him in the face. This was the origin
OF TIE hare's lip These traditions about the
Rabbit.
The belief that the sun dance on Easter
morning was a remnant of sun worship
Inc various greetings and embraces had
of spring.
The triumph of the Son of Man over death
was prehgured by the course of the sun
which gives physical well being to the earth.