New-York tribune., 1901-04-07
EAST SIDE FESTIVALS.
SEASONS WHICH CARRY THE DEVOUT
JEW BACK TO THE HOLY LAND.

D@rt of the city which lies south of Houston-st.
and east of the Bowery find that he has jour
acyed from the Occdent to the Orient. The
thump and rattle of IL trains may be still in
his ears. the dwellings, may be tall tenement
wilson's of red brick, but he is, the less.
among "A people whose natural habitat would
toe m to be five six thousand miles nearer the
rising sun At these times faces which have
grown familiar behind pushcartS and beneath
pedlers packs take on an unaccustomed ar,
assume strange new dignity, growing signifi-
can't of an honored past in a faraway land.
Such "A season has given the East Side
It's transiiguring touch. The springtime brings
rojocings for Jew and Gentie-two festivals
which were linked together by the tragedy of
nearly nineteen centuries ago. For when at
Faster. the churches are filled with flowers and
rcho with singing the East Side, where
churches few. the tenement dwellers are
commemoratins the wonder of nearly thirty five
hundred years ago which gave to an enslaved
race its freedom and to a great part of the mod |
world its religion The Passover brings
with il only sacred memories. but fun and
frolic as well. 1t is the most important holiday
of the year; more than any other marked off
from the rest of the year 10y strict rules. The
dietary laws always exhaustive. take on an
oven greater Importance. The eating Ci un-
cavened bread is of course familiar to every
one but this is only one of a multitude of OBJ
eervanceS. During the eight days of the feast
not a cooking utens a dish may be used
which sees service at other seasons. The Jewish
litchen is necessarily well provided with pots
md pans at any time. to avoid using the same
Utensils for meat and milk. bat an entirely sep |
rate set is kept for the Passover. Nothing IN
ihe kitchen the dining table is the same
from the pots To the SPOONS. Moreover, before
,lc feast a spring cleaning of extraordinary !
dimensions is undertaken. Mothers and daugh- |
i>rs sweep and scrub every nook and corner
Every spot of dirt might harhor a crumb Of
cavenej bread and bring sin on the household
THE SYMBOLIC PASSOVER
Tnen begins the preparation of the feast. The !
disks OF uneavened bread or 'matzoth." are
prepared iy bakers in enormous quantities. and
must he bought before the feast in sufficient
Quantities to last all the eight days. The Gus
.om of eating pa5chal lamb has OF necessity
tassoG away since the Jews ceased To b" an
agricultural people. \ whole lamb. at spring
lamb prices. would bring ruin on thr Ghetto. +
t,sdes since the fall "f Jerusal' N. old customs
axe slightly changed. The Passover II to-
lay can only symbolic the Passover "f cd. AMI
..us, continue To do unul the silver truin-
iots again praise the God of Israel from Mount
Zion. So. to s'nt the lamb there IS "a bone
. tho centre Of th~ table accompanied hy a
.o4stcd .fE. symhozinE IN" hnrdshps "f IN"
desert since roasted eggs form no part "i even
tho Ghcttos flequrntly eccentric hill Of fare.
I;ut the hi,ter herbs are there and when tasted
~, readily believed genuine. The meal itself
: the usual holiday GnTer-suup, fish and chick
en-hut sMcctmcats are forbidden Before this
can be- eaten there is much praying TN" men
cover their heads during the whole mral. a rule
which holds good for the orthodox whenever n
cats drinks. hut which is observed only on
special occasions hy the younger generation.
with It's more Occiurutal manners. All the cush-
ions in the house piled into the chairs around
the table. To symbolic tn" ease of freedom com
pared with the hardshipS of Egypt. The young
child the right moment asks tn" imme-
mortal question why unlcaVcn"d bread is eaten
Tonight. and why they al rccIine on pillows,
and the father answers in the stately Hebrew
shc sac ed tongue F'rms part of his education.
Wine is drunk certain parts Of the service.
one glass IS filled fer Elijah the prophet and.
with much laughter. the door is opene, for him
L. in if he is So minded. \ vacant chair
is placed al the table "A symbol If hospitality.
and 40 matter hcW pc"r the family may lee
there should always be place the board /
for the homeless and unfortunate. In addition -
the required wine any amount may be drunk
hy any one who chooses. 1t will shock no one /
81 this sober and indsI rious race if at Passover
Hhere is genial semi-religiOus exhilaration.
Outside America and The twentieth century: I
tseen An