Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-05-27
LADY DAY OF MARCH.

LADY DAY OF MARCH.
IMPORTANT IN BOTH SECULAR AND
RELIGIOUS CALENDARS.
Why the 25th of March Is venerated In
England-What Happens II It Falls ON
Easter-secularly Considered 1t Is the
Beginning of One of the Years Quarters.
The 25th of March is an important
date both in the secular and religious
calendars. It is the first quarter day in
! the year and as such comes home to
most of us who have before our eyes the
fear Of payment Of rent or the rarer
pleasure of receiving it. The pay days
in England have been arbitrarily fixed
| ON Lady day, Midsummer day, Michael
mas day and Christmas day. Why? No
body has been able to explain, unless it
| be that, arriving, as they do, near the
end of each quarter, such important
days are better as reminders Of our duty
| to our landlord than any ordinary 3Oth
! or 31st Of the month would be likely to
be.
But it is, Of course, as one Of the
great festivals dedicated to the Virgin
(as its name, Lady day, or the old term,
Our Lady's day, implies) that it has
most Importance, being the anniversary
of the day when the angel Gabriel an
nounced to the Virgin the mystery Of
the incarnation Four other dates in
the calendar share the honor of this IT,
t1e-namely, Feb. 2, or the Publication
July 2, or the Visitation, to commem-
crate the visit paid by the Virgin Mary
to her cousin Elizabeth INSTITUTED by
Pope Urban vi in 1889; Sept. 8, or
the Nativity, and Dec. 8, or the Con-
ception.
But the 25th Of March, or the An
nunciation, is most regarded, as it is
the anniversary, according to st. Au-
gustine, Of the great event to which it
owes it's origin, and the institution of
this festival dates from very early times,
since st. Athanasius makes mention of
it in one of his sermons. An order of
the Patriarch Nicephorus having given
permission to break the fast Of Lent if
the Annunciation happened to fall on
the Thursday or Friday Of Holy week,
council convened at Toledo in 656 to
preserve the complete observance Of |
Lent and ordered the transference Of the |
holiday to the week preceding Christ
mas. Some Of the eastern churches still |
follow this decree, but the Syrians have
fixed it ON Dec 1 and the Armenians
on the 9th of January, while in the
Latin church it has resumed its old
place in the ecclesiastical calendar. In
the western church, if it should fall in
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 in England. The
synod Of Worcester, 1910 A. D., by one |
of its canons forbade all servile work |
upon it, and this was afterward con-
firmed by various provincial and dioc-
esan councils in all respects except ag-
ricultural labor.
In Rome, in the early part Of the CEN
tury, the day used to be celebrated with
great pomp and splendor. We read that
the windows were hung with crimson
and yellow silk draperies and occupied
by females in most gorgeous attire, |
while the churches were patrolled by |
the pope's horse guards in their splen- |
did full dress uniforms, all of whom
wore in their caps sprig Of myrtle as |
sign of rejoicing. Before the service
procession appeared, preceded by anoth- |
er detachment Of the guards mounted
on black chargers, who rode forward to
clear the way to the sound of trumpet |
and the beating of drums. This martial
array was followed by bareheaded |
priest on white mule bearing the host
in gold cup at the sight of which ev-
erybody Frustrated himself. The pope
used formerly to ride on thewhite mule |
himself, and all the cardinals used to |
follow him in their magnificent robes |
of state, but as the eminentissimi were
for the most part not very eminent
horsemen they were generally fastened
on lest they should tumble off.
It is not to be supposed that in this
country the day would be without its |
tradition or superstition, so we find that
it was considered public misfortune
if Lady day fell on Easter day, and the
medieval couplet runs:
When our Lady falls in our Lords lap,
Then England beware Of great mishap.
No less than 13 saints figure in the |
calendar on this day. Of these two
were ladies-St. Dula and st. Ida; one
Irishman, St. Cammin, abbot of Inis-
keltra, and two Englishmen, St. Af- |
wolf. bishop of Sherborne, and st. Will
liam, the child martyr, of Norwich.
In The Calendar Of the Anglican
Church we find a statement showing |
how great i'll ancient times was the ven
GRAFTON for the Virgin i'll this country.
Published in 1851, the book states that
no fewer than 2, 1870 churches were
named in her honor alone, besides 1O2 |
where she was associated with some
other saint. On the authority Of the
same work, pictorially the Virgin is
nearly always shown kneeling CT seated
at table reading.
OF the 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 Eyck, Loch-
ner of Cologne, Albert Duerer, Andrea
del Sarto, Vasari, Louis and Annibal
Carracci, Guido, Charles de la Fosse,
Lesueur and Murillo.
In connection with the day it is per-
missible, perhaps, to conclude with a
chestnut that owes its origin to the
postofice. 1t is said that a few years
go country gentleman wrote letter
| to a lady Of rank in town and sent 1t
| through the post with the following ad-
dress: ''To the 25th of March, Duke
street, London" The postman is said
| to have delivered it at the house Of La
dy Day, for whom it was intended
Pail Mall Gazette
| The Noisy New BOarder.
| Here is some Trocadero fun:
"What was that awful noise In the
room next to mine last night?"
"Oh, that was only the new boarder