The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-06
LADY DAY OF MARCH.
IMPORTANT IN BOTH SECULAR AND
RELIGIOUS CALENDARS.


Beginning of One of the Years Quarters.
The 25th of March is an important
date both in the secular and religious
calendars. 1t is the first quarter day IN
the wear 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 30th
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
| Gas 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 I'll
tle-namely, Feb. 2, or the Publication;
July 2, or the Visitation, TO commem-
crate the visit paid by the Virgin Mary
20 her co7sin Elizabeth INSTITUTED by
Pope Urban VI in 1899; Sept. s, or
| the Nativity, and Dec. 8, or the Con-
ception.
But the Goth of March, or the An
nunciation, is most regarded, as 1t IS
the anniversary, according TO ST Au-
gustine, of the great event TO which 1T
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,
! a 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, it's 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 it's canons forbade all servile work
| upon it, and this was afterward con-
| firmed by various provincial and doc
esan councils in all respects except ag-
| ricultural labor.
In Rome, in the early part of the GEN.
! fury, 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 a
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 a white mule, bearing the host
in gold cup, at the sight of which ev-
erybody Frustrated himself The pope
used formerly to ride on the white 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 rs
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. Aft
wolf. bishop of Sherborne, and ST. Will
liam, the child martyr, of Norwich.
In The Calendar of the Anglican
Church we find statement showing
how great in ancient times was the ven
Grafton for the Virgin in this country
Published in 1851, the book states that
no fewer than 2,120 churches were
named in her honor alone, besides 102
where she was associated with some
other saint. On the authority of the
same work, pictorially the Virgin is
nearly always shown kneeling or 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, Loeb
ner of Cologne, Albert Duerer, Andrea
del Sarto, Vasari, Louis and Annibal
Carracci, Guido, Charles de Ia Fosse,
Lesueur and Murillo.
In connection with the day it is per-
Missile, perhaps, to conclude with q
chestnut" that owes its origin TO the
postoff1ce. 1t is said that few years
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