The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-02-14
LENT BEGAN
WEDNESDAY,
Easter Sunday Comes Early this
Year, March 3Oth.

Interesting Observations Concerning
! the Great Fast = Many Changes
| from Original amer of Celebra-
ting Hot Gross Buns Relic Of
Pagan Days.
| Lent begun unusually early this
year within week of its earliest
possible arrival. The beginning OF
Lem is conditioned on the date of
Easter and the latter comes on the
Sunday Immediately following the
itnll moon, which falls on or after
March 81, SO chat Easter may come
as early as March % or as lato as
April 25. This year Easter comes on
March 30. and counting back forty-six
Gays. including Sundays, brought the
beginning of Lent on Wednesday.
The fact that six Sundays are in Lent,
but not of Lent, is often a source of
confusion among many, who, knowing
that Lent consists of forty days finn
that. including Sundays, it consists
Of forty-six days. But Sunday is never
q fast day, aud though six Sundays
come in Lent they form no part of 1t,
and are not counted i'll it's forty days.
| Ash Wednesday. the first day of
Lent. is so called becausc Of the an
cient custom Of penitents appearing
! in the church covered with sackcloth
and ashes. 1t was called in Latin
Dies Cinerum. 1t was also known
as Canlt Jejunii, or head of the fast.
!, There is peculiar anomaly concern
ing Ash Wednesday. The great fast
should be for forty days only, yet this
day is forty-six days before Easter.
The fact is that Sundays, being always
/ feast days. are not counted in the Len
ten period, so that only forty days of
extra fasting are left.
During Lert there are many Gus
toms worthy of repeating. for instance,
Mothering Sunday" Mid-Lent or
Mil -Careno. The first name was given
it from the good old custom of visit
ing parents upon this day and of
Imaking thom present Ct money, n
trinket, or a nice catable. And the
nsual cake was a Simnell or Fur
nety.
Then comes "Carling Sunday. "
which i, Passion Sunday, or Care Sun
day, ON which day gray peas after
having been stepped NIL night in
/ water, arc fried in bntter, are given
away and eaten. Ihis day is the day
OH which III! debts should be paid. all
ofrenses forgiven.
Palm Sunday. the Sunday before
Easter. was evidently SO called be-
cause on this day bonghs of palm
trees used to be carried i'll imitation
of those which were strewn in the
way of Christ when he rode into
Jerusalem. In the early days of
Christendom these palms were blessed,
as were also the flowers used upon
/ that occasion. Branches of the box
tree were also used. Tho present day
substitute in England is the Towering
branches of species of willow called
Witty" or the sallow. The custom
OF "going palming. or gathering
tho palms is still kept up i'll many
parts of Europe and England on the
day before Palm Sunday. In many
Roman Catholic countries the entry
Of Christ into Jerusalem, known rs
the festival of the Wooden Ass" is
still celebrated.
Shere or Maundy Thursday is the
Thursday before Easter, tho day on
which Christ washed the feet of his
disciples. On this day fasters were
wont. for tho first time i'll Lent, to
shave their boards and cut their hair
iu preparation for Easter. On the
same grounds, this day was chosen
for the Kings bounty to be given
away, and was general day of chari
ty aud good will.
or Good Friday customs, that of
eating hot cross buns is perhaps tho
best known, and this can easily be
traced to the pagans. 1t was an offer
fling made about this period to the
gods. The Christians seized the idea
and dressed it in Christian cloak /;
tho bun Offering was marked with a
cross and SO became christened.
/