Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-01
Easter Reflections.

Easter NeIlGCIlOHS.
Our Easter, like Our Christmas and
many other Christian festivals and
rites is really pagan in it's origin. me
word Easter is from "Estre,' the Saxon
goddess whose festival was held in
April. This goddess is really the same
as Astarte, the Phcenician goddess of
the MOON Thus Easter is festival of
the moon, it's date having been fixed by
the Nicean council in 351 A. d. as the
first Sunday after the first full moon
following the vernal equinox. 1t never
takes place earlier than March 20 or
later than April %.
Easter customs vary greatly in diff
ferent countries. An almost universal
distribution of "pasch' (eggs), word
derived from the Greek "pascha'
meaning the passover.
In Mohammedan countries lambs and
sheep are slain on Easter and the blood
allowed to run thru the streets. into
which the people dip their garments
and stain themselves.
In Mexico the rich and poor alike
flock to the capital, there to enjoy the
| festivities which begin on Easter eve.
Their celebration is much like our
Christmas. The public square, like a
fair ground is adorned with booths of
every size and description. These are
covered with branches of trees in which
lights are placed exactly like our
Christmas trees, while toys and articles
of all kinds are offered for sale. Lads
go around selling little cakes in the
shape of cross, sepulchre or crown OF
| thorns.
In the Tyron (Austrian) Easter is
celebrated on Holy Saturday eve.
Bands of musicians in Spanish SOM
breros gaily decorated with flowers
| march thru the valleys, playing on gui-
tars and singing Easter hymns. These
musicians are followed by crowds of
merry children who, as night comes on,
carry lighted torches of pinewood, CIV
| ing weird effect to the strange fam
tastic shadows thrown over the scenes.
Every home has supply of paschal
eggs, boiled hard and dyed in the
brightest colors. The children present
their baskets along the line of march
and receive freely from the housewife
eggs and wine with which ia regale the
/ singers.
In modern America we are getting
away from the old and beautiful sym
Dol Of colored eggs. We still eat them
but no longer in poem. art and story
does the paschal egg hold undisputed
sway The egg with its fuzzy little
chick perched on top, or just peepine
from the shell, that we were wont tc
fsee in the confectioner's shop and on
the Easter card, is replaced by the cute
and graceful bunny. The new emblem
Will doubtless puzzle many. Even g
child could see the connection between
Easter and the egg as symbol of the
resurrection, but what in the world the
dainty, cunning, long-eared rabbit has
to do with Easter is more difficult Il
understand. Perhaps even the majority
of grown folks fail to see the connec.
ton.
4 The change of sentiment In favor Of
4 Runnie has doubtless come about thrt
our wider acquaintance with the litera.
a ture and legends of the far east. If yoI
will study the mythology of the orien.
a tails and familiarize yourself with the
work of the Chinese, Japanese ant
4 Hindoo artists you will find a clue IL
/ their common association of the hare
!, and the moon. In their minds the mar
in the moon Is no man at all, but S
a hare, and the mythology of all these
4 peoples shows the moon and hare to b,
identical in their syfnbology. The Chi.
nese represent the moon as har,
pounding rice in a mortar.
4 Now put your syllogism together ant
you will have 1t: Easter is a moon fes-
tival. But the moon is a hare. There.
fore Easter Is a hare festival. AND
Bunnie as king of Easter day become.
our symbol. Isn't that correct?
4 Just why the hare should have beer
! adopted as the symbol of the moon il
not so easy to determine, since the tes
s timony and the legends are so conflict
! ing. One account tells us that Buddhs
once desired to feed a hungry fellow
creature and to do it took the form of {
hare. In this form he was transferred
to the moon, where he still abides.
Another legend is that of Indra. wh'
J was once in furnishing condition
when the hare, being sympathetic lit
tie creature. was heartbroken at hi
distress Unable to relieve the goo'
mans hunger in any other way, thu