The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-04
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Ash Wednesday, the first day of the
penetential season of Lent. is past again
The fashion of the world though not con-
cerned about It's religious significance
recognizes 1t in the florists display of
cnerarias. the gorgeous Ash Wednesday
flower, with It's ash-tipped leaves, and in
the unusual crowding of social distrac-
tons, In the Southern countries the wild
revelry of the carnival and the feasting
of the Mardi Gras reign supreme.
The early Christian fathers. wise in
their way and generation, found a place
for pagan customs in the church ritual.
and these, losing their original meaning,
We're adopted and read into sacred and
symbolic meanings. The Italian carnival
from the Latin "caro" (fiesh) and
''vale" 0arewelD-"farewen to the flesh"
at one time began with the feast of the
Epiphany. twelve days after Chris tmas,
and continued until Ash Wednesday, a
period of about six weeks, Many of the
customs of this extraordinary time of I'M
restrained sport and feasting may be
traced directly to the pagan Lupercalia
According to a papal order the feasting
of the clergy began two days before that
OF the lalty. probably to compensate for
the hours of rigid fasting soon to come
with the Lenten season. The rich began
festivities on Three Kings day, or Epi-
phany, while the middle classes were al
lowed but one week and the poor but a
few days. Tuesday preceding Ash We'd
nesday was the greatest day of the carni-
val Then all preparations for a Lenten
fast were suppressed to be completed. and
the liberty and license of unrestTained
.feasting, masquerading and buffoonery
were INDUCED to the utmost limit of the
law, only to come to an end when the
last toll of the midnight bell ushered in
the penitence and contrition of the long
Iast before Easter.
This Tuesday is known to us as Mardl
Gras, or Green Tuesday, a season of
dancing and masked balls. Among The
Germans. the Chicago Post says, it Is
"Fastnacht" and presents of green nose
gays are exchanged, and in the rural dis
tricts little fir trees are planted before
the doorway, decorated with garlands.
This custom, the Wiseacres say, is a pos
ttiVe inheritance from the old-time Bac-
chanals, and a reflection of Yule ide In
the far North. In England the few days
before Lent were called ShroVeJide Sim
ners went to confession, were shriVen,
received absolution, and gayly celebrated
the event Shrove Tuesday. 1t became
CollOp Monday and Pancake Tuesday,
with fritters and pancakes in such liberal
profusion that 1t was only be1tting, for
the stomachs sake, a season Of fasting
should set in. Moreover, the faithful Were
permitted to indulge in the manly sports
Of football, cOck-fghting and bull-batt-
ing.
Ash Wednesday brought a revulsion Of
feeling with it. Gregory the Great intro
duced the custom into the church services
at the close of the sixth century. The
palms of the preceding Palm Sunday were
burned. Before mass the ashes We're con-
secrated on the altar, sprinkled with holy
water and signed three times with the
sign Of the cross, while the priest sol mn
~ recited the words: "Memento quod CT
MS es, ct in cinerem reverteris" Gre
member thou that thou art dust and must
return to dust'O. The ashes were strewn
on the heads of the officiating priests and
clergy and the assembled people. AT the
same time, while the penitents were hum
bled to the dust, those unfortunates out
side the pale were not forgotten. Ear
nest prayers were offered for the CONVEX
sion of Jews, Turks and infidels," and
the Communication" a series Of denuucla-
lions against impenitent offenders. was
read.
The word Lent is of Anglo-Saxon de-
riviation, '1enten'' meaning spring. 1t is
the period of forty fast days, not In
Guiding Sundays before the Eastertide.
The time commentaries the forty days
fast of Moses, Elijah and Christ. Roman
Catholics are most rigid in their observ-
ance. the Episcopal church advising the
observance, but not commanding it. Alb
stinence from food on certain days and
from meats and the social pleasures
forms part of the Lenten exercises. Fast
Ing seasons are customary among all
sectS and have been among all nations,
even the most primitive
The salutary effect on the health Of
self-imposed restraints upon the appetites
has found due recognition among wild
tribues as we'll as cultured peoples
Hence the part Of the Christian world fol-
lowing the customs of Lent is again using
pagan custom, though reading into it
a higher spiritual significance. The Mo-
hammedans fast during the entire month
Of Ramadan, in which the prophet
brought the Koran from heaven Curl
ously enough, eating, drinking, smoking
and smelling perfumes are strictly for
hidden from daybreak till sunset, but the
historian saith not what Is done between
sunset and daybreak.
Easter, Dominica gaudil, or Sunday of
Joy, Is the festival after the closing of
the austerities Of Lent, when the resur-
rectlon Of Christ is celebrated The Teu-
tonic tribes Of the North celebrated to
the goddess Ostara, the personifcation
Of the morning, at this season, and also
to the opening Of the year or spring. The
policy Of the church gave Christian sig
niticance to such rites as could not be
rooted out, and thus conversion Uac poado
easy for the heather The bonfiras of
pagan rites gave way to the great pascal
tapers, sometimes Weighing 800 pounds.
which were lighted in the churches Easter
eve
Easter eggs are symbolical of the re-