Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-04-03
LEGNEDS OF EASTER.
The Celebration of the Day is Traced to
Ancient Mythology.

There are many pretty legends
about Easter eggs. One of them tells
how: a little wren built her nest near
| the Savior's tomb. When the stone
was broken Easter morning and Jesus
was released, she started up in fright
and a thorn pierced her bosom. The
red blood yelling from her heart
fell upon her eggs and colored them
red. And that is the reason, so the
legend runs, that we have colored
eggs for Easter.
The customs of the people in their
celebration of their various holidays
and the forms and rites of their cere-
monies are illustrations in the history
of humanity. Many of the Easter
customs which are identified with the
Christian church descend to it
through pagan civilizations of long
ago. From time immemorial q feast
observing the vernal equinox has
been observed among the nations of
men. The semetic race, which after
wards separated into the Arabs, the
Jews and the Phoenecians, always
celebrated the coming of spring with
a feast. The Hebrew Passover and
the Paseki feast of the P~hoenecians
are modified forms of the feasts of
their ancestors.
The Phoenicians dedicated the feast
to Astoreth, a lunar divinity and god
dess of spring. She is also Eostre,
the Saxon goddess, and from her our
English Easter is named.
At the vernal equinox feast eggs,
symbolic of pregnant life and abupd-
ance, were offered on the affairs and
used at the feast. The use of eggs
was widespread and an universal GUS
tom among the ancients in the cele-
pration of vernal equinox. At the
Jewish Passover eggs we're used for
offerings, gifts and edibles. The Fire.
worshiping Persians sent decorated
eggs to their friends at this period.
The Peace egg of the modern Easter
is a legacy from remote ancestors.
At the Easter celebration of the Chris
tian Church the priests colored the
eggs red in allusion to the blood Of
Jesus.
The Easter hare or rabbit as one OF
the symbols of Easter, in America is
an innovation from the Fatherland.
TO find the origin of why the Easter
rabbit lays the bright-hued eggs, the
record must be traced back through
the German legends to the early Sax
ons who offered sacrifices to the lunar
goddesses, to the Phoenlcians, and
thence to the Indian and Egyptian
folklore. In all eastern mythology
the hare is the symbol of the moon.
1t is an nocturnal animal. 1t hunts
and feeds at night. 1t carries it's
young four weeks and they are always
born with their eyes wide open unlike
other members of the rabbit family.
In Egypt, the land of animal SYM
bolism and worship, the hare was
called un or open, typical with the
moon.
The hare or rabbit is the symbol OF
the moon. Astoreth or Eostre, is the
moon goddess. At her festival when
eggs were typical of the celebration,
the superstition arose that the rabbit
laid them. So the little children look
for the nest of rabbits eggs Easter
Sunday to find it filled with gaily
colored eggs that they are sure no
ordinary hen could have laid them.
In Russia on this day of universal
rejoicing all the people salute each
other with a kiss and the greeting,
"Christ be with thee" The children
who live in Washington roll fcolored
eggs on the lawn of the White House.
This custom, is a modified and last
remnant of the old English custom of
breaking eggs IN the church yards
symbolic of nature releasing life.
In the writings of Pope Gregory
there are illusions to the rich and
gorgeous attire of the worshipers
who thronged the churches on Easter
morning, a custom which has not been
lost in the centuries that have passed.