Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-04-03


his worship. With the same ceremo-
MES as in Egypt and elsewhere the
Easter rising of Adonis was common
GRATED at Byblis, in Phoenicia. The
ancient Greeks also celebrated this fes-
tival in honor of the resurrection Of
Adonis, in the course of which figure
Of him was produced and the cdremo-
ny of burying, with weeping and songs
Of wailing gone through. After these
joyful shout was raised, "Adonis
lives and is risen again!" Elsewhere
in the east the Easter festivities were
of similar character, and the priests
addressed the worshipers with the for
mula, Comfort yourselves, all We who
have been partakers of the mysteries
of the deity thus preserved, for we
shall now enjoy some respite from our
labors," to which were added these
words: Il have escaped sad calamity,
and my lot is greatly mended." The
people answered by chanting the in
vocation, Hail to the dove, the restor-
er of light. Other ceremonies were
similar to those now held in Roman
Catholic countries on Good Friday and
Easter Sunday.
The resurrection and reign over an
eternal kingdom by an incarnate, medl-
ating deity, born of virgin says
Professor Mahaffy was a theological
conception which peryaded the oldest
religion of Egypt Osiris was the
popular god of that country, pre-em-
inently good and dear to the hearts OF
the people His resurrection and as
cension were celebrated annually in
early spring, about the time known in
Christian countries as Easter. The
anniversary of his death or disappear
ance in November Of each year, was
observed with rites of mourning. Sim
liar in nature were ceremonies in 9TH
er countries at the same season, such
as the Thesmophoria of the Athenians
and the Etachtae of the Boeotians. La
ter on came other observances describ-
ing the search for Osiris, when process
sions bearing the sacred chest and arks
with fresh water, spices and costly
perfumes marched to the temples. The
sacred COW was led around the tenn
pie seven times, which indicated that
the god did not complete his return I'M
til seven months after. These observ-
ances took place in the early spring
March or April.
Phrygia was celebrated throughout
the east for the mysteries of Atys, and
in these mysteries Atys was represent
ed by young man tied to tree, as
though suspended upon a cross, and
there were great ceremonies attending
his release, which was typical of the
resurrection. These mysteries, which
began with three days of mourning,
were followed Immediately by a feast
of Hilaries, or day of rejoicing, fes-
tival that occurred on the 25th day of
March, or the eighth day before the
calends of April. In connection there
with song which afterward became
the "Halleluiah" of the Christian
church was sung, and also the "Haec
Dies" ETC., This is the day made by
our Lord; let it be for us a day of
rejoicing and cheerfulness. The ia
nous prose, 20 fill ct filiae,' was also
sung.
The ancient Scandinavians also had
their Easter celebration. In fact, the
word Easter-Anglo-Saxo Eastre and
Eoster and German Ostera-is a sur
vival from the old TeutOnic mythology.
1t is derived from Eostre or Ostara,
the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring,
who correspondent to the Sidonian AS
teroth of AStarte. To EOStre, the
fourth month, answering to our April,
was dedicated and was called Eostur
monath. This month was the same
as the paschal month of the Jews, and
the old festival was observed with the
gladress of a new sOlemnity The
month of April is still known in Ger
many as Oster monath, and the wor
ship of Ostera on Eastre took deep
root in northern Germany, whence it
was carried into England by the Sax
ons Down to the beginning of the
present century the Easter time con-
tinued to be celebrated in many parts
OF Germany by the kindling of bon
fires and numerous other rites that
were of remote antiquity. The fire
rite was the great feature of these
early observances in Germany and af-
terward in Great Britain, and the uni
versatility through Europe in heather
times of the worship of the personifi-
cations of the sun and light through
the kindling of fires and other lights
is testified by the yet surviving prac-
tice of periodically lighting bonfires.
The fire festival of Ostera was origi-
nally held about the LIST of May and
was shifted to coincide with the
church festival of Easter. Unable to
extirpate these heather rites, the early
church sought to Christianize them by
associating them with rites of her own
and for this purpose either appointed
a church festival at the time of the
heather one or endeavored to shift
the time of the heather observance to
that of an already fixed church festi-
val.
These ObServances continued to be
celebrated with seriousness and en-
thusiasm as late as the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, but the kind
ling of bonfires was after a time put
down by the government, the earlier
interdicts alleging the un-Christian
nature of the rites and the later the
danger occasioned to the forests. At
ter Christianity came, joy at the ris-
ing of the natural sun and at the
awakening of nature from the death
of winter became joy at the rising of
the Sun of Righteousness, the resur-
rection of Christ from the grave. A
survival of these bonfires can be
traced in the great paschal tapers,
sometimes weighing 800 pounds, with
which the early churches were lighted
on Easter eve.
Even the use of Easter eggs was of
ancient origin. There can be little
doubt that this custom was originally
designed as symbolieal of the revivi-
fcation of nature, the springing forth