St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-08
TO FIX THE EXACT DATE
or the Festival Requires the
Consideration Of a Good
Many
CONFUSING CIRCUMSTANCES
Explanation Of the Beautiful
Ceremonies Of Holy
Week.

NaZianzen, sis Easter-aS far above
all the other feasts of the year as
the sun outShines the stars" Such
was the joyous festival to the be-
levers of the fourth century, and
such will it always be to the great
body of Christians. Even those
who do not approve, in all particu-
lars, the splendid pageantry which
clusters around the season culminat-
ing in Easter, will not deny the ma
jestic impressiveness of it's eloquent
symbolism.
Easter is the axis upon which re-
wolves all the movable feasts of the
church. The name, as we have it,
is borrowed from that of an Anglo
Saxon feast of light or spring, oc-
curing in the month of April. This
ancient and barbarous festival was
transformed into the celebration of
the Saviors resurrection.
AS is well known, Easter may oc-
eur on any date within a month, the
earliest possible date being March
%, and the latest April 25 To fix
the exact date requires the consider
alton of many confusing circum-
stances, and indeed, during the earli-
er centuries, a decided difference of
usage existed among the Christians
OF the East and the West. At last
the proper day was established, in
325, by the Council of Nice, which
ordained that it should be the Sun
day following the fourteenth day
OF the moon Of March. This de-
termination was based upon the re-
lation of the crucifixion to the Jew
ish feast of the Passover.
The date of Easter being fixed.
Ash Wednesday,, the beginning of
Lent, comes on the fortieth day
preceding. Then follow the first,
second. third and fourth Sundays
in Lent. Next is
PASSION SUNDAY,
beginning Passion week, during
which the sufferings. of the Savior
are commemorated. The consecra-
ton of this week is, of course. not
in accordance with the historical
sequence of events, but the period
was SO designated in order that due
attention might be given to the
greatness of sacrifice whose recog-
milton could not be adequately incor-
porated into the brief limits of Holy
Week. 5e.s. %
Passion week is followed by Palm
Sunday, introducing the sacred and
final week of the Lenten season. Forty
days after Easter is Ascension day or
Ascension Thursday, marking the as
cension into heaven; and ten days later
is celebrated the last of the movable
feasts-Pentecost or Whit Sunday. The
name Pentecost refers to the fiftieth
day after the second day of the pass
over. On this fftieth day it was that
the Jews celebrated a festival, and on
the same day the Holy Ghost descend
ed upon the apostles. The old English
name of Whitsunday is rather fanci-
fully explained as derived from
white" and Sunday" because the
persons baptized about Easter were
accustomed, in early times, to attend
church for the next fifty days arrayed
in white garments.
Easter is the grand and perfect Gull
mination of holy week-a season that
was once known as the great week, or
the week of sufferirgs and the week
of sorrows. All of the austerities of
Lent were formerly so intensified dur
ing these final days that nothing was
eaten but bread and salt. Water was
the only drink permissible, and that
at the close of the day. Holy week and
the week following Easter were gIori-
fed by the early Christian emperors in
a general pardon of all debtors and of
all criminals convicted of minor crimes.
Many slaves were then freed, and
servants were given a vacation
throughout these two weeks that they
might attend exclusively to their own
spiritual welfare
Yesterday was Palm Sunday and the
first day of holy week. In every
Catholic church throughout the city
genuine palm branches were blessed
by the officiating priest, and then dis
tributed to all within the sanctuary
1t was the palm-the Roman
EMBLEM OF VICTORY
that the multitude stretched out to-
wards the King of Peace, as. seated
upon the ass foal, He made His trI-
unlphal entry into Jerusalem
Monday and Tuesday of holy week
have no especial ceremonies, but
Wednesday evening, the "tenebrae, :"
or darkness, is first introduced into
the evening service of the Catholic
church. This is the sudden extinc-
ton, for a time, of all the candles-a
premcnition Of the darkness about to
fall upon the world, by the sacrifice
of its Redeemer. The day after is
Maunday Thursday, styled thus from
the 'mandatum' or order of Christ to
His disciples, delivered at the last sup
per. Among the old-time ascetics, who
denied themselves the privilege of
bathing or of shaving during Lent it
was on this Thursday that they puri-
fed themselves for the coming festival
Hence was the day once known as
Shere Shear Thursday. Two most
beautiful cerelnonials take place this
day. AT the beginning of the morning
service the lights are permanently
eXtinguished, and at the close of the
same service the church bells are
rung for the last time. These porten-
tous preparations appropriately usher
81 Good Friday, the day of the cruel
fiXion. Throughout this entire day
not candle is lighted about the altar,
not note peais forth from the silent
Lalfry. The offices OF the clergy are
performed in veStmentS of melancholy
black.
Holy Saturday, or the Vigil of Eas-
ter, is, in theory, marked by no ser
vices of special import, but, in rrac-
tice, it includes many observances
which pertain to the great succeeding
| festival. These latter services took
| place formerly at the hour of mid
| night, and many of the words of the
| Office, such as "haec nox'-tnis night
and the like, indicate the time of the
carly celebration. For the sake of
practical convenience, however, the
| mi0night service has been transferred
TO the previous morning. Preliminary
| 10 the mass comes the ancient and
| poetic custom of lighting and blessing
the hre. Charcoal is kindled in the
Vestlbule before the altar, the fire is