The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-05-22
LADY DAY OF MARCH.
IMPORTANT IN BOTH SECULAR AND
RELIGIOUS CALENDARS.

why the 25th OF March Is EenGrated In
Engiand-what Happens If 1t Falls on
Enthusiastically Considered 1t Is the
EccinninG of enc Of the Years Quarters.
The 2jth Of March is an Important
date both III the secular and religious
calendars. 1t is the first quarter day i'll
the year AID as such comes home TO
most Of Us who have before our eyes the
fear CT payment CT rent CT the rarcr
pleasure of receiving it. Tho pay days
N England have been arbitrarily fixed
On Lady dag, Midsummer day, Michael
mas day and Christmas day Why? No
body has been able to explain, unless it
10 that, arriving, IS they do, near the
eAd Of each quarter, such important
DAYS arc better as reminders o. our duty
to our landlord than any ordinary 3Oth
rr Slst OF the month would BE- likely to
be.
But it isSCf course. rs one Of tho
great festivals dedicated 10 the Virgin
CAS- its name, Lady day, or the old term,
Our Lady's day, implics) that it has
most Importance, being the anniversary
Of the day when the angel Gabriel an
naunccd to the Virgin the mystery of
the incarnation. -Four other dates III
the calendar share the honor IF this ii
tIC-namelV Feb. ,, on the Publication;
July ,, or the Visitation, to comm"m-
crate the visit paid By the Virgin Mary
to hcr cousin Elizabeth (inStitutcd by
Pope Urban VI i'll 1889; Sept. s, or
the Nativity, and Dec. s, or the Con
ccption.
But the 10Th eff March, or the An
nunciation, is most regarded, as it is
the anniversary, according 10 st. Au-
gustino. Of the great event 70 which it
owes its origin, and the institution OF
this festival dates from very early times,
since st. AthanaSius makes mention Of
it in one Ct his sermons. An order Of
the Patriarch NiccDhorus h;Ying given
permission to break the fast Of Lent if
the Arnunciation happened to fail on
the Thursday or Friday Of Holy week,
Il council convened at Toledo i'll G56 to
preserve the complete Observance Of
Lent and ordered the transfUencc of the
holiday to the week preceding Christ
mas. Some Ct the eastern churches still
follow this decree, but the SyriaEs have
fixed it Oh Dcc. 1 and the Armenians
on tho 9th CT january, while in the
Latin church it has resumed its old
place in the ecclesiastical calendar. In
the western church, if it should fall i'll
the Easter fortnight, its celebration Is
postponed until the second Monday fol
lowing the festival.
Lady day Of March has always been
very highly observed III England. The
synod Of Worcester, 1910 A. D., by one
of It's canons forbade all scrvile work
upon it, and this was aftorward con-
1irlncd by various provincial and dioc-
csan councils in all respects except ag-
ricultuTal labor.
lii Rome, Ill the early part of the CEN
fury, the day used to be celebrated with
great pomp and splcndor. We read that
the windows were hung with crimson
ard yellow silk draperies and occupied
by females il most gorgeous attire
while the churches were patrollcd by
the pOpc's horse guards i'll their SPLEEN
did full dress uniforms, all Of whom
wore i'll their caps sprig Of myrtle as
procession appeared, preceded by anoth-
cr detachment of the guards mounted
on black chargers, who rode forward to
clear the way to the sound of trumpet
and tho beating Of drums. This martial
array was followed by barcheadcd
priest Oh white mule, bearing the host
in Il gold cup, at the sight Of which CIV
,ryho:Iy FRUSTRATED himself. The pope
used formerly to ride ON the white mule
himself, and all tho cardinals used to
follow him i'll their magnificent robes
of state, but as the eminentissilni We're
for the most part not very eminent
horsomen they were generally fastened
on lest they should tumble off.
1t is not to be supposed that in this
country tho day would be without its
tradition or superstition, so we find that
it was considered Il public misfortune
if Lady day fell Oh Easter day, and the
medieval couplet runs:
When our Lady falls in our Lords lap,
then England beware of great mishap.
No less than - saints figure i'll the
calendar Oil this day OF these two
were ladies-;5t. Dula and st. Ida; one
Irishman, st. Camnin, abbot of Inis-
kcltra, and two Englishncn, ST Aft
wolf. bishop of Sherbornc, and st. Will
liam, the child martyr, of Norwich
In The Calendar Of the Anglican
Church wc find Statement showing
how great III ancient times was the ven
Grafton for the Virgin III this country.
Published III 1851, the book states tha5
no fewer than ,, 1870 churches were
named i'll her honor alone, besides 102
where she was associated with some
ether saint. On the authority of the
same work, p!Ctorially the Virgin is
nearly always shown Eneeling or seated
at Il table reading.
OF tho great masters Of all countries
and ages whose genius has been lavish
ed on this theme it Will be sufficient to
mention the brothers Van Eycl;, Loeb
ner of Cologne, Albert Ducrer, Andrea
del Sarto, Nasari, Louis and Annibal
Carracci, Guido, Charles de Ia Fosse
Lcsucur and Murillo.
In connection with the day it is per-
rlissiblc, perhaps, TO conclude with II
chestnut" that owes its origin to the
postoticc. 1t is said that few years Il
70 country gentleman wrote letter
to lady Of rank in town and sent it
through the post with the following al
dress: ''To the Goth Of March, Duke
street, London" The postman is said
10 have delivered it at the house Of La
dy Day, for whom it was intended
Pail Mall Gazette.
ENGLANO'S FOOD SUPPLY.