Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-04-09

is a story which connects the rabbit
with Easter in curious way. The
spots on the surface of the moon form,
as these natives say, the perfect image
of rabbit. And as the moon sets or
dies and rises again every thirty days,
it sent the rabbit to take it's message
to the children of men
Go" said the moon to the rabbit;
go and say to men that, even as |
die and rise again, so shall they also
die and rise again
But the rabbit was wicked, and did
not carry the message straight.
The moon says" the rabbit told
the south African natives. that even
as / die and do not rise again so shall
you also die and not rise again. "
When the rabbit came back and told
what he had done the moon was nat
urally angry, and struck at him with
a Ratchet The blow struck the rab-
bit and split its upper lip. People who
doubt the story are asked to notice
day. And besides having it's split lip
the rabbit was much frightened at the
moons anger, so that it ran away and
hid in hole in the ground. and has
, been timid ever since.
Going over to Asia it is found that
the rabbit still holds it's place as a
sacred animal In China and all
! other countries where the religion of
Buddha prevails the story runs that
the great Buddha himself was at one
time terribly angry, and wandered up
and down on the surface of the earth
looking for something to eat, but
| found nothing. Finally the rabbit
saw the hungry god and felt sorry for
him. Going up close, so that Buddha
could not fail to see him, the rabbit
! laid down at his feet.
Eat me" said the rabbit to Bud
dha,
But the Chinese divinity was
to be outdone in generosity. Instead
| of eating the rabbit he transported it
! up to the moon, and there to this day
| the little Chinese children can see it.
Against the bright face of the moon
| they can make out a tall cassia tree
! with a spreading top. Under this tree
/ sits the rabbit on it's launches, pound
/ ing continually in a mortar the drugs
/ from which are made the water of life
| Perhaps if Chicago children will look
carefully at the moon they, too, may
/ be able to make out the shape of the
rabbit which lays the Easter eggs.
And today in China at the time of
! the celebration of the great moon fes-
tivaI, which corresponds in season to
Easter in Christian lands the figure
/ of the rabbit is stamped on the moon
cakes, which relatives and friends ex-
change among each other in the place
! of Easter cards
In certain parts of England. even at
the present time, much more is made
of the Easter hare than in this coun-
try. In Leicestershire, for instance,
| there is a custom still in vogue called
the Easter hare pie scramble, So
many years ago that everybody has
| forgotten it certain plat of ground
was given to the rector of the parish
perpetually. on the condition that
/ each year on Easter Monday he and
/ his successors should contribute two
hare or rabbit pies and a quantity OF
ale, to be scrambled for by the vii
layers. AS late as 1892 the hare pie
scramble" was observed as great
festival. all the villagers turning out
to march in procession behind the
men carrying the hare pies. cut up in
| to fragments When they reached a
( spot known additionally as Hare
pie Bank" the sacks are emptied and
| all the crowd engages in a fight or
scramble for the pies, which afe sup
posed to guarantee good luck to the
possessor for the ensuing year.
So the children who credit the
Easter rabbit with laying the Easter
eggs are simply following a tradition
| so old that no man knows its begin
| ming. And in every corner of the globe
other little children, white, black, vel
! low. or red, are, in one way or
another. paying allegiance to the same
| tradition