Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-04-18
Origin of EaS ter.

! Origin Of Easter.
J The Egyptian Osiris was probably
! the prototype of the Latin goddess
! AurOra-the dawn-Who was known tC
the Germans and Saxons as Ostara
! or EaStTe. The latter goddess was
often wOrshiped with fire, probably as
an emblem Of the dawn-Osterfeuer
4 When Germany became Christianized
the new church did it's best to trampIe
out all the old pagan customs. But
| they could not do it. The Eastre fes
| tlyalS in particular had taken a deer
hold on the hearts of the people, and
! the heads of the new church wisely
! decided to make the best of them. Sc
they turned them into Christian OBJ
SeryanceS 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 w0rshiped 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 March. 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 become that
of Easter.
In Olden times the fires were Away S
QuGnched in all the churches on aster
eve and kindled anew from the flint,
and the new fire being hallOwed by
the priest every one could take home
brand, to be lighted, when needed,
as q preservative against tempestS.
Less we'll observed is an old custom
of putting the house in order on Eas-
ter 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 prep
arations were 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 u, 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 4 O'Clock
in order to see the sun dance.
1t was an old custom in England to
break the Lenten fast by eating a
CANNON of bacon on Easter Sunday.
and thus show the adherence in
which the Jews were held on that fes-
tival day.
A custom obtained in many parts of
England in which, as soon as the ser
vice Of the church was over, the bows
ran about and laid hold of eyery
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, they
would do and would carry the shoes
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 obtained. The
children used to repair on Easter
morning to a spring called the drop
! ping Tor" with a cup in one hand. a
quarter of a pound of sugar in the
other, and having caught in their cups
{ as much water az was desired from
the dropping of the spring they dis
! solved the sugar in It and drank it.
1t is the custom of German families
| on Easter eve to place sugar and reaI
! eggs, the former filled with sugar
plums, in a nest, then to conceal il
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 Oh
Easter day. Bad luck will follow il
there is not at least one article 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
here were little children left eggs fol-