Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-04-01

Faith Based Upon the obseryance-oldestl
of All Festivities.
The churchgoer knows the meaning
of Easter in a way, because IN every
land where the Christian faith obtains
the singers carol Christ is Risen"
Technically. it means the anniversary
commemorative of the resurrection.
Really, it is an annual reminder TO
mankind of all the term religion inn
plies, and of the duties that really de-
volve upon every person.
The resurrection is the ostensible to-
pic of the majority of sermons preach
ed on Easter Sunday, but it is not only
that which is meant The deep religi
,Oils significance of the occasion is Illus
trated in the most attractive and
beautiful form in the churches. as a
lesson to the eye and through that to
the heart. Greatest of all. however.
are the joyful features of Easter, the
upspringing of hope and the miracle of
returning life All these inspire condi-
ton of joy and Happiness in the lives
of young and old and the most insensi-
bile object becomes "A part of the carn-
val of joy. In a word. Easter is con
tinual pledge to mankind that life is
eternal
Ii was not until the fifth or sixth CEN
fury that Easter was kept as festival
The first day of each week was kept
holy by the apostles themselves in
honor of Christs resurrection. and with
this weekly observance there came the
great annual commemoration In
early days there was much diversity
MS to the date of keeping the festival.
Some persons observed it annually on
the same day of the year. Others OBJ
served the fourteenth day of the first
moon in the new year, regardless of
what that day might be- Still others
celebrated the first Sunday after the
first full moon and these persons diff.
fered widely as to exactly what Sun
day that was
Nothing was definitely settled in the
wayof a universal agreement until the
question was taken up by the council
OF Nice. That body settled the date as
the first Sunday following the 14th day
of the calendar moon which happened
upon or next after the Dist of March, so
that il this 18th day be Sunday.
Easter was not to be on that date, but
on the next following Sunday. Easter,
therefore. may be any date within five
weeks. inclusive of March % and
April 25th. 1t cannot happen earlier or
later than these two days. In 1889
Easter occurred March 25th and again
on the same date in 1894.
twas fter keeping the passover with
His disciples that Christ's crucifix-
ion took place, yet the Christian Easter
and the Jewish Passover seldom fall
on the same day. The last time they
did so was in 1925. on the Sd of April,
and they will concur again in 1903. on
rf nil
called movable festival and on its
date depends the time of keeping Lent.
being forty days before. and also the
ascension, forty days after Easter. Be
sides this. Easter fixes the date of the
feast of Pentecost with the remaining
special Sundays that go to make M
the church year.
German mythology pictures Ostara
as the goddess of Easter and makes
her "A most attractive parsonage. This
goddess, says the mythologist. has
given her name to one of the greatest
events in the Christian era. The name
is form of the modern German "Os-
ern' and of the English Easter"
The early church found it wise TO
adapt to Christian purposes many in
situations and customs Of a pagan ma
ture. which had become established i'm
the affections of the people. So the
observance which in heather times
shonorcd the advent of Ostara. the god
tess of spring. survived. to a certain
extent. in the Christian celebration of
he resurrection.
Apart FROM the religious services
those obServances with which the
heather people honored Ostara still
lnger in their primitive form in many
parts of Germany and possibly of Eng
land. In New York and other centers
Of Anglo-Saxon civilization. they have
assumed a more complex character
German mythology always said that
he German rustic feasting at Easter
time represents the ancient sacrifice
Of The goddess. Sacrifice is also or
tered by the urban American in these
lays. in the form of fine raimemt and
bonnet.s
0stara is represented in mythology
al art as dazzling creature. clad
with simplicity but exceeding beauty.
She is surrounded by winged babies.
birds. flowers. rabbits and other things
mathematical of Easter and the
springtime. The sun, mythology has
{, used To leap with JOY three times
when ostara appeared on Easter day.
Easter eggs are supposed to be laid by
40 common hens. The goddess Ostara
was especially favorable to hens.
which are usually to be seen in her
pictures. surrounded by many eggs.
Caster eggs snouIo be red, because
ed was the favoritc color of the tbun-
Ter god and the first thunder storm of
spring WAS sacred to Ostara
The custom of coloring Easter eggs
as old as the Use of the egg as a
symbol. Long ago the tender blades
of wheat. which Mt the Easter season
aad just peeped above the carths sur
ace. were used for coloring. A hand
'ui of the wheat blades thrown into a
Dot with the eggs turned the color of
he shells TO dark green. Soon after
.olors were obtained from mulberry
caves and the Persians used their
Ives with great effect. The people
hen learned to write upon the boiled