Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-05
LEGENDS OF THE EASTER EGG.
The Gift of n Red Egg Brings Loye-Why
You Must Break the Shell to Bits.

The Gift of n Red Egg Brings LOve-Why
You Must Break the Shell to Bits.
The old custom of presenting colored
eggs at Easter is quickly going the way OF
all other old world customs in the civilized
western world AS the dainty little baskets
of former days in which the Easter eggs
were presented lying on bed of moss,
where they peeped out between primroses
and violets, have vanished before the pink
sugar egg and other triumphs of the con
fectioner's art, SO the charm of the legend
ary lore which surrounded the former has
almost entirely disappeared.
1t is pleasant, however, to notice that
some of the uunumbered stories, quaint,
grotesque and fanciful, which were handed
down through many centuries from gen
Grafton to generation, are still being pre-
served by those who see more than mere
old wives tales in the tales which were told
by our grandfathers and their fathers be
fore them concerning customs kept nearly
all over the world. TO these readers we re
call one or two legends, remembering which
they will have care to conciliate the
occult powers watching over the use OF
abuse of their implements, the eggs.
For instance, when the Easter egg has
done its duty and been played with till the
shells are slightly Clipped, and when the
time comes for finishing" it with pinch
of seasoning, it should never be forgotten
that the witches land goodness knows they
are with us still if we but knew themD, il
they can get such shells unbroken, by NUT
tering spells cause them to grow SO large
that they can use them as boats. And when
witches are provided with conveniences fol-
travelling aboat folks may well look out fol
squalls!
A gypsy girl once asked wise person
why the eggshells must be broken. The
reply was:
You must break the shell to bits, for fear
Lest the witches should make it a boat, my
dear,
For over the sea, away from home,
Far by night the witches roam.
The girl, however, did not see why
witches should be prevented from taking
boating exercise and furnished one of the
latter ladies with the shells of an egg she
had just been eating. And the grateful
witch rescued the gypsy in the same egg
shell, which had meanwhile grown into q
white boat, when she was in DANCE of be
ing drowned.
1t is generally supposed that witches
think more of attendance in churchyards
and at midnight than of going to church
while the services are going on. Nor is theil
presence at all to be desired. And it is
therefore well that the lower Alsatians
have discovered the following virtue in
Easter eggs: If man will take an Easter
egg into the church and look about him
they say, if there be any witches in the con
gregation he may know them by their hav
ing in their hands pieces of pork instead OF
prayer books and milkpails on their heads
for bonnets.
Since, next to the terra Gotta colored Eas
ter egg, that owes its beauty to a handful OF
onion peel, the cochineal dyed red egg is
most popular, it is interesting to remember
that lovesick maidens can secure man:
love by giving him a red Easter egg AT
least SO the Tyrolese lasses are taught tt
believe.