Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-02

which Gregory Nazianzen 800 years ago
called the Queen day of days, that excels
all Others as far as the sun exceeds the
other stars, and which is still known in the
east as the bright day" Another typical
name for Easter is the Holiday of Hope"
There Is a wonderful charm and fasci-
nation in this queen festival of the year,
which dominates the whole world with its
wonderful lessons of returning life. Not
only is the deep religious significance or
the occasion illustrated in the most attrac-
tive and beautiful form as lesson to the
eye, and through that to the heart, but the
joyful features of Easter, the upspringing
of hope and the miracle of returning life,
inspire condition of joy and happiness in
the lives of young and old, and the most
insensible object becomes a part OK the
carnival of joy.
Easter was not kept as festival until
the fifth or sixth century, but previous to
that the question of establishing it as a
feast day came before the council of Nice
when it was decided authoritatively that
Easter was henceforth to be the Sunday
following the 14th day of the calendar
moon which happened upon or next after
the 21st of March, so that if this 14th day
be a Sunday, Easter was not to be on that
date but on the next following Sunday.
Easter day, therefore, may be any day
within five weeks inclusive of March %
and April %. 1t cannot happen earlier
nor later than those two dates. In 1888,
Easter occurred on March 25, and again
in 1894, which will be twice in the pres
ent century. In 1851 it will occur again
on March %.
1t has often been asked why an egg is
the symbol of Easter. The use of eggs for
Easter can be traced to the theology and
philosophy of Egyptians, Persians, Gauls,
Greeks and Romans, among all of whom
an egg was a symbol of the universe, the
work of the Supreme Divinity. The Per
slams gave presents of eggs at the feast
of the vernal equinox-in honor Of the re-
newal of all things. The Jews adapted it
to suit the circumstances of their history
as type of their departure from Egypt,
and it was used in the feast of the pass
over as part of the furnishing of the table
with the Paschal lamb. The early Druids
also used the egg in their ceremonies.
The custom of coloring Easter eggs
seems to be as old as the use of the egg
as a symbol. In Germany sometimes in
stead of eggs at Easter, a curious print
illustrative of their use is presented. An
Gdster cuSuOul Drought IrOm MeSo9sOLa-
mia is that of egg-rolling or egg-pitting
The manner of this sport is to strike the
eggs one against the other, until one is
broken, which is the spoil of the owner of
the egg which remains whole. Another
egg is then pitted against the winning one,
and so on until the last one is victorious.
Every year at Washington the children
of all classes of people meet in the grounds
of the White House. and with the Presi-
dent and his family looking on, and great
crowds of spectators in attendance, pro.
ceed to roll eggs of all the colors known
10 humanity, and in such quantities that it
would seem as if the hens of all the world
had contributed. 1t is one of the sights of
Washington on Easter Monday. In this
country eggs of all colors are used for
the rolling sport, but in Mesopotamia they
are red only, in remembrance of the eruci-
fxion.
In France it was once customary at the
approach of Easter to seek the largest
eggs as tribute to the king, and when
the Easter high mass was finished, in the
chapel of the Louvre, to take them into the
royal presence, handsomely gilded and
carried in pyramids. Then the chaplain
blessed them, after which they were dis
tributed TO the people.