Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21
EASTER IN THE HOME.
Social Customs Attending the Great
Christian Festival.
FLOWERS OF THE SEASON.
Easter Weddings and Easter Dinners-Caudie
and How 1t Is Made--The Easter Egg and
Legends Concerning 1.-THE Marriage Of
Marguerite.
Written for The Evening Star.


should be celebrated. The converted Jews
| kept the feast on the same day as their pass
over, the 14th Of Nison the month correspond
ing TO our March or April but the Christian
church observed the first Sunday following this
because Christ rose from the dead on that day.
1t was not until the fourth century that the
council of Nice decided upon the first Sunday
after the full moon which happens next after
March 81. The contest waged long and heavily,
but the western churches were victorious-a
vote settled il.
Perhaps this victory decided the later and
more splendid religious ceremonials of Easter,
which are now much more observed in Rome
and in all Catholic countries than those of
Christmas. Constantine gratified his love of
display by causing Easter to be celebrated with
unusual pomp and parade. Vigils and night
watches are instituted, people remaining all
| night in the churches in Rome and high wax
tapers being carried through the streets in
professions.
People in the north. glad Of an escape from
four months OF darkness. watch to see the sun
dawn on an Easter morning. This is SUPER
stltlon which comes from Egypt and is akin to
the legend that the statne Of Memmon sings
when the first ray Of the sun touches it.
QUEEN OF FEAsTs.
1t is the queen of feasts in all the Catholic
churches the world over. ; In early days the
fasting of Lent was restricted to one day. the
Friday of passion week. Good Friday: then it
extended to forty hours; then to forty days.
showing how much fashion even in churchly
matters has to do with these One witty author
says that people who do not believe in any
thing will observe Lent, as it is the fashion. ~
Certainly the little dinners of Lent in fash
ionable society are among the most agreeable
OF all entertainments. For the creme d'erivisse.
the oyster and clam soups the newly arrived
shad, the Goldfish a la royal and other allureble
daintles are very good and the dinner being
small and at O'Clock. which gives q long
twilight for the drive in the park, all are very
enjoyable.
pope of Rome once offered prize to the
man who would invent 900 ways of cooking
eggs. for eggs can always be eaten in Lent and
let us hope that he found him. The greatest
coxcomb of all the cooks. Louis Ude. who was
prone to demand a carriage and five thousand a
year. was famous for his ''iittle Lenten menus
and could cook fish and eggs marvelously. The
amusements of Lent have left for us one Joke in
New FORK. The roller skates. thena very fashion
able amusement for Lenten afternoons, now
gone out. had taken Irving Hall for their play
ground. and 'Festina Lente' (hasten slowly J
for their motto. very witty motto. but some
wise malaprop remarked: What a very happy
| selection: festivals of Lentn'
However. Lent passed with its sewing circles
and small whist parties the digestion of the
boiled peas which the labor saving pilgrim
wore in his shoes; then comes the brilliant
Easter with its splendid dinners, its weddings,
| its christenings and candle parties. its
| ladies' lunches, its Meadow brook hunt.
| its asparagus parties and the chickens
OF gayety which are Matched out of Easter eggs.
1t Is great day for the confectioner. In Paris.
that city full of gold and misery. the splendor
| and luxury of the Easter egg bonbonniere is
| fabulous. A few years since a Paris house fur
nished an Easter egg for Spanish infanta
which cost eight hundred pounds (English.)
EASTER DINNERS.
Easter dinners can be made delightful They
are simple. less heavy, hot and stuffy than those
of midwinter That enemy of the female COM
plexion. the furnace Is put out 1t no longer
sends up its direful sirocco behind ones back.
| Spring lamb and mint sauce. asparagus and
fresh dandelion salad replace the heavy joint
| and the canned vegetables. A foreigner said of
| Us that we have everything canned. even the
| canvas-back duck and the American opera.
Everything should be fresh. Primrose din
| ners, the ice cream man devises allegorical
illusions in his forms. and there are white din
ners for young brides and roseats dinners for
debutantes.
For gorgeous ladies' lunch behold q menu
This is for Easter Monday:
Little Neck Clans
Chablls. Beef Tea or COnsOmme in Cups.
''Cotelettes de Cervelles la Cardinal
Cucumbers.
Little Ducks with Fresh Mushrooms.
Champagne. Artichokes.
Sweet Breads a la Richlieu.
Asparagus, Hollandaise Sauce.
Claret Roman Punch.
Pate de Foie Gras.
Roast Snipe.
Tomato Salad. Lettuce.
LiIueur.
Ice Cream in Form of Nightingales Nests.
Strawberries, Sugar Fcuit. Nougat Cakes
Coffee.
OF course a season of such rejoicing when
Christians stand praying each i'll an exalted
| attitude with outstretched hands and uplifted
faces expressing JOY and gladaess is thought
to be very prOpitious for marriage. There is
generally a wedding every day excepting Fri
day during Easter week.
The prettiest flower for an Easter wedding is
the datfodil, which can be massed in great
quantities with delightful effect. Lilacs. lilies
of the valley. white roses and wild flowers are
| all appropriate We have not the primrose
unluchily. that darling OF England, for an
Easter Wedding.
favorite spring travelling dress for an
Easter bride is fawn-colored cashmere with n
little round hat and bunch of primroses.
EASTER WEDDINGS
A number of choir boys singing an cpl
thalamium walking up the aisle before the
bride is a new and very beautiful Easter
fashion. favorite entertainment for Easter
is christening. Christening parties
are becoming very important func-
tons in the art of entertaining
Roman Catholics are many OF them so anxious
for the salvation of the little new soul that they
have their children baptised as soon as possible
but others put off this important ceremony I'M
til mamma can go to church. when little mas
ter is five weeks old. Then friends are invited
to the ceremony very much in this fashion:
MY. and Mrs. Hamilton request the pleas
ure of your company AT the baptism OF their
infant daughter at the cathedral Monday
March 80, at II o'clock. AT home after the
ceremony. IA W. Ellcott square,
Many wealthy Roman Catholics now have
private chapels, where the ceremony could be
performed earlier.
The selection of godfathers and god
mothers is III the Roman Catholic and Episco-
pal churches very important one, as in both
these churches the godparents are expected to
fill the places OF the parents il there is any loss
| by death.
| In the honor Of being chosen godparent the
| friend receives a note i'll the first person. men,
| tioning name. II for the godparent IL very
handsome present is usually made by that in
| dividuai. All the godfathers and godmothers
make IA present-a silver cup. porringer silver
basin. coral tooth cutter the christie ming dress.
| generally very handsome. Old-fashioned peo-
pie give the baby salt and an egg for good luck
and beg that he may be carried upstairs before
| he goes down stairs and that when he goes out
first he shall be caCied to the house Of some
| relative.
We have heard of one wealthy godfather who
left ,iO0, go III the babys cradle. Edward the
Sixth and his sisters were all baptized when
/ only three days old and the ceremony took