The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-03-24
THE FEAST OF EGGS.
A CUSTOM AS OLD AS CHRIS
TIANITY.~
Inaugurated by Noble Countess While
In Exile-The Egg Has Since Been
the Symbol of Restored Bappi-
ness.

Many hundred years ago there lived
good and noble woman whose name
was Frau Rosalinda Won Lindenburg.
In those DAYS crnel war was laying
waste the land. and she had to fly from
her home in the dead of night, with
her two children. At first she knew
not where to go, but her old serving
man begged her to go with him to his
own people, who lived in little min
ing village away, hidden In the Harz
mountains. So the noble countess
put herself in his care, and his broth
ers and sisters were very kind to the
poor wanderers, took them in and
gave them the best they had.
But the best they had was very poor,
and, at first, the dainty-reared woman
and children came near starving
There was no meat, no fish, and not
even an egg; and this last for the good
reason that there was not a fowl in the
settlement These domestic fowls that
seem so common to us, and that we
see everywhere, at first came from the
far east, and had at that time only
been seen in large cities and towns.
And these mountain folks had never
even heard of such strange birds"
So the countess decided to repay
their kindness. She secretly sent her
old servant down to their old home.
There he found the castle almost
wholly destroyed, but was lucky
enough to gather up large number
of the chickens that still roasted about
their old home He brought them up
to the mountains and great was the
surprise of all the peasants as they saw
the queer birds.
But a few weeks afterward they
were still more astonished and de-
lighted, for young brood of chicks
was shown to them by the kind count
ess. o, how the village children
laughed and clapped their hands at
the sight of the 0little, downy, bright
eyed creatures, who were so strong and
spry, and who followed the old hen
about to pick up their food on the very
day they came out of their shells
Such contrast to the blind, bald,
ugly little fiedglings that they saw in
the nests in the hedges.
Now the countess saved up her eggs
until she had enough for feast, when
she invited all the housewives to come
to taste the new food, and learn how
to prepare it. At the close of the feast
she gave each family number of
fowls to take home and use for her
family.
When Easter came, she was anxious
to do something for the children, and
it occurred to her that as the egg was
the sign of new life it would be a nice
thing to have an egg festival for the
children's Easter treat. So she took
MOSES and roots, and with them
colored some of the eggs-saying that
1.-The earth laid aside her mantle of snow
in the spring, and God himself made
the fruit and berries not only good
to eat, but pleasant to look upon.
On Easter Sunday, after the villag-
ers had met for their simple service,
she called all the little ones, and after
talking pleasantly to them for while,
she led them into grove near by.
There she told them to play about, and
pretend they were little brides, and
make themselves some cute little nests.
Then she called them to her house, or
cottage, and gave them little feast of
the best she could prepare. 1t was
only some nice milk-soup, with cooked
eggs, and egg cakes.
When they had finished their feast
they heard great whistling, and COO
ing, and squeaking in the grove where
they had left their nests What could
be the matter? The children ran back
to see, and 10! in every nest there were
five beautiful colored eggs and on one
of these little rhyme was painted.
Imagine the surprise and delight of
these simple children. They talked
among themselves and wondered where
they came from.
what a strange hen it must be to
lay eggs of so many colors." said one.
''Oh, do not think that hens lay
such hard eggs" said another. But n
third one said:
Il am sure it was that dear little
hare saw jumping out from behind
the bushes where l made my nest
This idea seemed to please the little
ones and they all shouted together:
"Yes, yes-the little hare laid the
colored eggsv' And they kept on re-
peating it until they began to be-
lieve it.
Not long afterward, as the countess
sat talking to the children, who was
it that the little daughter saw coming
up the mountain? 1t was the dear
father, the husband whom they all
thought must be dead. And as he came
to them on this Easter day it was an
other reason why the countess loved
the day and wished to have it always
celebrated.
So when she went back with her
husband and children to rebuild their
old home she left sum of money to
be expended in giving the children an
Easter egg-feast every year. She also
started the fashion of the "egg-feast"
in her own duchy, and so 1t grew, and
by degrees the custom spread all over
the land, and the eggs also at length
became sort of symbol of restoration
to happiness and redemption from sin.
The custom has spread to our own