St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-30
ITS ORIGIN IN ROMAN TIMES
IN THE EGG GAMES WHICH WERE
CELEBRATED AT THE TIME OF
OUR EASTER.
SEASON OF YOUTH AND JoLL1r,
Customs and Games of Differ
ent Countries.


back to the theology and philosophy of
the Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks,
Romans, etc., among all of whom an
egg was the emblem of the universe
the work Of the Supreme Divinity.
Hutchinson remarks tnar "the egg
was held by the Egyptians as a sacred
emblem of the renovation Of mankind
after the deluge. The Hebrews adopt
ed 1t to suit the circumstances Of their
history as a. type of their departure
from the land Of Egypt, and it was used
In the Feast of the Passover as part Of
the furniture Of the table, with the
Paschal lamb. Christians have Ger
tainly used 1t on this day, as retain
ing the elements Of future life, for the
emblem If the resurrection. It seems
as If the egg was thus decorated for q
religious trophy after the days Of NOR
tif1cation and abstinence were over
and festivity had taken place, and as
an emblem of the resurrection of life,
certified to us by the resurrection from
the regions Of death and the grave"
AN OLD CUSTOM.
The usage of interchanging eggs at
this season has been referred for it's
origin to the egg games Of the Ro-
mans, which they celebrated at the
time of our Easter, when they ran races
in an egg-shaped ring and the victor
received eggs as his prize These games
were instituted in honor Of Castor and
PollUx, who, fabulists relate, came
forth from an egg deposited by Leda
after Jupiter had visited her in the
shape Of a swan. Others allege that the
custom was borrowed from the He
brews, who, at their Passover set on
the table two unleavened cakes and
two pieces of the lamb; to this they
added some small fishes, because Of the
leviathan; hard egg, because Of the
bird zig, and some meal, because of
the behemoth.
The egg in all ages and in every
country has been the subject Of poet
ical myths and legends. The ancient
Firms believed that mystic bird lad
an egg on the lap of Vaimainon, who
Matched it in his bosom. He let 1t
fall into the water and 1t broke: the
lower portion q the shell formed the
earth, the upper, the sky, the liquid
white became the sun and the yolk
the moon. while the little fragments
of broken shell were changed into stars.
English and Irish nurses instruct
children when they have eaten a boiled
egg always to push the spoon through
the bottom Of the shell, ito hinder the
witches from making a beat Of it," In
france similar custom prevails, but
the reason assigned for it is that ma
g1clans formerly used the egg for their
dlaboncal wicheries. They emptied 1t
aoroltly and traced on the interior
cabahstic characters able to cause
much evil The faithful were, therefore,
instructed to break at the same time
the shell and the spell.
EMBLEMATIC OF THE BEGINNING.
1t Is difficult to ascertain the precise
origin OF the graceful custom SO uni
Versal In France and Germany. and
more or less prevalent throughout the
world, Of Offering eggs at the festival
or Easter. The Persians gave each
other eggs at the New Year, the Rus
slams and the Hebrews at the festival
OF raster Among the Romans the year
commenced at Easter, as it did among
the Franks under the Capets. Mutual
presents were bestowed, and. as the
egg Is the emblem of the beginning of
all things, nothing better could be found
as an offering.
In Christian countries many hundreds
or years ago the church prohibited the
use OF eggs during the forty days of
Lent, but, as the heretical hen did not
cease cease toy TO iay' a large quantity of eggs
the end Of the period of abstinence
These were usually given to the chill
dren, and, in order to render them more
attractive, they were dyed with CAV
colors or otherwise ornamented, A fa-
Vcr1te game was to knock two eggs to.
gether, and whichever broke became
the property Of him who held the other.
or course, this would not profit much n
the eggs were In fluid state. and ont
hard. -''
We also find a record of this ean,a
from "Hyde's Oriental Sports" In which
ne tells Of one with eggs among the
Christians Of Mesopotamia on Easter
day and forty days afterWard. during
which time their children buy them
selves as many eggs as they can and
stain them with a red color in memory
of the blood Of Christ, shed at the time
OF His crucifiXion. Some tinge them
with green and yellow. Stained eggs
are sold all the while in the markets
The sport consists in striking one egg
against another, and the egg that f1rst
breaks is won by the owner Of the egg
that broke 1t. Immediately another ego
is p1tted against the winning egg and
so they go on, till the last remaining
egg wins all the others. The snort is .
favorite one in Baltimore. There thew
do not cook the eggs, and a skillful how
Will often bring home a basketful GOOD
for culinary purposes. Then, again. q
poy may br1ng home suit Of clothes
entirely ruined after a dav snent In
playing at what thew coli ss,o,;oI,;x., -
eggs"
BELLS GO TO ROME.
In some remote districts of France It is
sun 81 customary for the priest of the parish
to go around to each house at Easter and
Destow on 1t his blessing In return he ra
celVes eggs plain and painted In these
same regions belief still fingers that dur
set out for Rome in order to get themselves
blessed by the pope. During this period of
mourning the bells are mute In their belfrv
and the peasants. firmly believe that they
nave started on their pious pilgrimage and
will return to send forth joyous peal on
the morning of the resurrection PeopIe do
not come back from so long a Journey with
out bringing presents to good children. The
JOY pells then always come first and bring
with them various beautiful playthings. The
death bells come last and bring nothing
Easter, then. was like second New Years
day. The peasant bestowed on his child an
egg. dyed scarlet. like the cloak Of a Roman
cardinal. and supposed to come from Rome
On Easter morning. at the sound of the
rejoicing bells, fair angels with azure wings
were supposed to descend from heaven bear
ing baskets of eggs. which they deposited in
the houses of the faithful. Sometimes. how
ever, 1t happened that the evil one slipped
In an accursed egg among those which came
from heaven.
In the district OF Brisse there Is a custom
OF scattering 100 eggs on a level space coy
cred with sand and a lad and lass, hold