The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-03-28
ORIGIN OF EASTER.
Queer Customs and Superstitions In
All Countries.

Queer Customs and Superstitions In
All Countries.
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 goddess was
often worshipped with fire, probably
as an emblem of the dawn-OSter
feuer. When Germany became Chris
tianized, the new church did it's best
to trample out all the old pagan GUS
toms. But they could not do it. The
Eastre festivals in particular had
taken a deep hold on the hearts Of
the people, and the heads of the new
church wisely decided to make the
best of them. So they turned them
into Christian observances instead Of
heather rites. The people held fast
to their eggs. Let them go they
would not. They kept on coloring and
giving them as presents quite as much
as though they still worshiped the
goddess Eastre.
One must go back to the PersianS
for their first observance of the egg
day. Before their conversion to Mo-
hammedanism the Persians reckoned
the beginning Of their new year from
the day in which the sun enters Aries.
which is in Marcn. According to one
Of the ancient cosmoganies, all things
were produced from an egg, hence
called the mundane egg. This cos
mogany was received in Persia, and
on this account there obtained among
the people of that country a custom
Of presenting each other with an egg,
| the symbol Of a new beginning of
time on every New Years day-that
| is, on the day when the sun enters
Aries.
| Among the Jews the season of the
ancient New Year became that of the
passover, and among the Christians
the season of the passover has be-
come that of Easter.
In olden times the fires were al
ways quenched in all the churches on
Easter eve and kindled anew from
| the flint, and the new fire being hal
lowed by the priest every one could
take home brand to be lighted, when
needed, as preservative against
| tempests. Less well observed is an
old custom of putting the house in
| order on Easter day, particularly the
kitchen.
| In many parts of Ireland and Eng
land in olden days the belief obtained
that on Easter morning the sun
danced in honor of the resurrection.
On the evening of Holy Saturday
great preparations We're made for the
| finishing of Lent. Many a fat hen
and dainty piece of bacon were put
in the pot by the cotter's wife, and
woe to the person who should taste
it before the stroke of IL, but at that
hour would be heard the clapping of
| hands and cries of "Out with the
Lent! All would be feasting and
| merriment for a few hours, when the
good people would retire, to rise about
O'Clock in order to see the sun dance.
1t was an old custom in England to
break the Lenten fast by eating
CANNON of bacon on Easter Sunday,
and thus show the adherence in
which the Jews were held on that
festal day.
A custom obtained in many parts of
England in which, as soon as the
service Of the church was over, the
boys ran about and laid hold of every
woman or girl they could meet on
the street and accosted them with
PAY for your shoes, if you please"
at the same time STOPPING to take
them off, which, if they were not paid,
LuCy "oulO uO anu IHc SuOSS
off, leaving the hapless female in her
stocking feet.
At Twickenham two great cakes
used to be divided in the church on
Easter day among the young people,
while in the Peak of Derbyshire a
custom known as sugar cupping OBJ
tanned. The children used to repair
on Easter morning to spring called
the dropping Tor" with cup in
one hand, a quarter of a pound of
sugar in the other, and having caught
in their cups as much water as was
desired from the dropping of the
spring they dissolved the sugar in it
and drank it.
1t is the custom of German families
on Easter eve to place sugar and real
eggs, the former filed with sugar
plums, in nest, then to conceal it
with dried leaves in the garden, that
the joyous children may hunt for
them on Easter morning.
1t is superstition all over the
world that one should wear new
clothes on Easter day. Bad luck will
Gle which is new.
1t was an article of faith with the
devout of Normandy that with the
earliest chimes of the church bells of
Easter morn celestial visitants de-
scended and at every house where
there were little children left eggs for
them as tokens of their visits: But
satan, ever on the alert, sometimes
adroitly slipped in an egg of ill omen.
Many of the old Easter customs
have gone like the wassail bowl and
yule log of Christmas, but colored
eggs. like Santa Claus, have firm hold
on the childish heart.
There is pretty legend to account
for their origin-that a bird sung 4
sorrowful lay over Christ's tomb, and