The Indianapolis journal., 1894-03-22
TRADITIONS OF EASTER.
How the Great Festival Originated and
How Ii Il CommemOrated.

How 1t i COmmemOrated
Pittsburg Dispatch.
Eastertide is approaching, and with IL
the festival which early in the Christian
era was distinguished the Sunday OF
joy," and which Gregory Nazianzen Q,5oo
years ago. called the ''queen-day OF days
that excels all others as far as the sun
exceeds the other stars" In the East IL
is still known the Bright Day" It has
also been designated the holiday OF hope.
as Christmas has been stSl~d the festival
Of faith, and Pentecost that OF love. Like
the seasons in which these three great
church feasts fall. each has It's own Pc
culiar atmosphere and character. The cele-
bration of the birth OF Christ, occurring
about the darkest period or winter, bears
more OF domestic character and is chieiy
kept and appreciated at the hearthsioe ana
in the family. 1t claims the individual and
his faith. Easter day, as feast more gen
orally celebrated BY congregational and
eucharistic observances, gathers the church
members in their unity, and upon the event
1t celebrates the church bases its hope
While Christmas is primarily a family
feast, Easter is Of more general and. as
has been well said, of national Importance.
Pentecost, in It's symbolcal aspect, ex-
hibiting international and cosmopolitan
features, for II unites all mankind as one
brotherhood In the spirit OF love and cnar-
ity.
Easter day, a notable feast, was not az
first celebrated on the same day by all the
branches OF the Christian church. some
keeping II one fixed day every year, as,
for instance, the churches in Asia Minor on
the fourteenth day OF the first month in the
chanced to be: others concentrating
Christ's resurrection on that Sunday only
which was falling first after the first full
moon succeeding the Hebrew passover.
violent dispute arising from this dis
crepancy in the second century OF the
christian era was finally settled at the
for the whole of Christendom that Easter
day was henceforth 10 be the Sunday fol-
lowing that l4th day of the calendar moon
winch happened upon or next after the
2lst of March. but that. II this 14th day
be Sunday Easter day was not TO be on
that date. but on the next following Sun
day. Easter day. therefore. may be any
day within five weeks which commence
with March p and end with April 25; that
is TO say, Easter day cannot fall earlier
than March 22 nor later than April &c.
1t comes rather early this year. falling on
tury has II happened on the same date.
in 1883, and only once will il occur on the
10Th or March in the twentieth century, in
1851, although within the five hundred years
between 1900 and 1000 A. d. Easter Sunday
was celebrated on that same date eight
times heretofore, in 15S, 1854. 1927 l6SS. l649,
fell on the 22d OF March, the earliest pos
sible date within the same five centuries
In 1913, 1868, l76l and 1885, but neither In
this nor In the coming century will such
be the case again. Four times also did
Easter fall on the latest possible date,
Years, in i546, iSii i7ss and 1855 This viii
again occur in l943. In 1885 Easter day Will
be on April IA; In 1896. April 8; in 1887, April
April .'' Is p' i ~ -'''' 1'p'" . III i'''
The word Easter, derived from the Anglo
Saxon Eastra, or, in Teutonic, ''Ostara,"
| the goddess of dawn or spring, whose chief
| festival was celebrated about the time OF
the the vernal equinox Is probably OF the same
ssbinir1" ,rha @ I.s .Ai XII S I, OF
| April the "Ostermonat."
Most of the popular observances OF the
introducing them into its Easter services
] are clearly Of pagan origin. EasteTtide.
/ long before Bonitace brought the gospel to
| the Germans, was period Of JOY and jubi,
| lation. Spring had arrived. Ostara, the
| bright and victorious divinity, had con-
| quered Brighter and warmer days assured
| the rejuvenation of nature. Mans hope
| and activity revived Like the Ushas OF
their Hindu cousins in far Off Asia, Ostara,
| symbolic belief which the church adopted in
the legend that the lamb was seen on Eas-
| ter Sunday frisking in the rays OF the ris-
Sir John Sucking alludes to this SUPER
| stition in complmenting young lady, say
| ing:
| No sun upon an Easter day
| Is half so fine sight"
| In similar manner the presentation OF
| eggs, the symbols of creation and new life.
| was introduced from the East For the
| Christian IL symbolized the resurrection OF
| Christ, and their usually red color an
| allusion to the blood Of redemption.
Other customs, as the lighting of fires TO
| this day practiced in Germany on the HILL
| sides OF the HarZ. obtaining the holy water
from the streams at midnight, when the
| good spirits move the waters, and presenta-
| ton of cakes, shaped in the form OF the
| the feast of the Saxon deity, Eastra, as are
| also the ''paschal daughters" Uisus pasch-
| ales). evoked by funny stories told IN
| churches by the priests. When the solemn
| chant Of the ''Salye Caput Cruentat UNI :
| (Hail Sacred Head. now wounded OF Good
| Friday was followed by the joyful singing
| of '.Surrexit Chrlstus Hodie'' Christ is
| risen this day. then all Christians would
| salute each other, Christ is Risen" greet
| one another with fraternal kiss. a custom
still retained in the Greek Church.