The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27
Sacred Cakes Of Easter Had
Origin in Hoary Antiquity
From Immemorial Bread md ad
Forms of and Have Figured n Compacts
Betwe Man and Man

IN and Man
ture. 1t was an old custom in a new dress.
invested with new significance. But so
very ancient and deep-rooted was the belief
of bread and cake symbols types OF
the resurrection, that the bun, marked with
the sacred sign OF the cross In memory OF
the crucifixion, would naturally be used at
Easter time to typify the victory over
death which followed the crucifxion so
soon. The best antiquarians claim that the
hot cross bun of the Christians carried
this double significance, and was, indeed.
the venerable springtime cake of immor-
tally, lifted out OF mysticism and reclad
in the holier dress Of revelation" This
makes il natural for the use of the Good
Friday bun 10 run over into Easter week.
The use of pancakes at Shrovetide is
more difficult custom to trace Shrove
Tuesday, OF course, is a movable feast II
may fall upon any day between Feb and
March, and could most readily incorporate
the sacred cake Of the old sprfngtime fes-
uvals of paganism. This much we cer-
tainly do know-that the original solemnity
meant to invest this ante-lenten feast by
the church, as the introduction TO peni-
tential period, soon lost it's sacred charac-
ter and became time of special merri-
ment, in the Mardi Gras of France and
the carnival of alphabetically more on
the style of the Lupercalian festivals OF
ancient Rome. Pancake Tuesday in ru-
raj England has been given over for GEN.
turtles 20 hilarious indulgence in pam
cakes and home-brewed ale.
Just why the pancake was singled out
for special honors at Shrovetide has been
explained follows: One of the old Saxon
cakes" as the pagan Saxons in that month
made an offering of sacred cakes TO the
sun. This is all the more plausible, too.
when we recall that Constantine the first
Christian Emperor, gave the name of Sun
day TO the first day OF the week, because
he wanted to propitiate the paganism OF
chief characteristic, as Dean Milman has
shown. This parallel would naturally i'm
ply that the Saxops used pancakes I'm their
worship of the sun.
Many heather races were also addicted 10
the outright worship of dough idols so
called. When the early Mexicans sacrificed
to their great war god they had an idol
baked of meal and moistened with the
blood of children slain in his honor. Jewels
of rare value were first imbedded in the
soft mass, which was then cooked and
borne to the temple in solemn procession,
preceded by a priest carrying a sacred
snake and the mass was then divided into
crumbs and eaten by the males. young and
old, after the manner OF our communion"
AT another festival they had sacred
waters or cakes. also divided among the
worshipers; These dough idols are also
common with the Mongols. for the traveller
Meignan saw an idol open to the sky and
desert MADE OF compressed bread and
perched on a horse, while five or six
images. also or bread, were bending be-
fore the deity in attitude OF prayer.
Early Spanish writer's in America found
that the Pueblo women of Santo Domingo.
1
| their idols on Bonded knees, and then pre-
served them for the remainder of the year.
Misfortune would certainly befal any
household which did not keep plentiful
! supply of them OH hand. A similar small.
round, sacred cake is also known among
| the Parsees of India 1t is often worked
with some mystical character by the finger
nail. and set aside for the guardian spirits
| of the dead.
So widespread is the sanctity ascribed
| to bread that il has been used at all stages
! of the world TO sanctify solemn compacts
between man and man. According TO
Major Burke. the Saxons would purge
| themselves of any accusation by eating a
piece of barley bread with the most solemn
oaths. praying that IL might prove poison
Gus II they told a lie. In the days of Hor-
ace, when Roman slaves were suspected by
| their master, they were forced 10 vindicate
themselves by eating cake over which a
! priest had pronounced certain ominous
words. Bread is bitten when the OstaakS
| of Siberia take the oath OF fealty 10 the
| Car. just as the ancient Peruvians ate
| corn cakes. kneaded with the blood Of hu-
| man victims, when they made alliances
with the Inca. To this day Scotch con-
| spirators eat a fragment OF barley bread
when they exchange their oaths.
As further proof of their sacred charac-
ter, cakes have been employed as a pass
word or silent signal for concerted action
among people against an oppressive foe.
They are far safer than beacon lights fash
| ing from hill TO hill. or noisy couriers on a
| gallop, and they have twice been known TO
servel as the voiceless heralds of revenge.
|
| those strange cakes impressed with mys-
| tic symbol which were found morning
| three days before the awful mutiny OF ma
| tives in every building OF India, from the
| viceroys palace TO the fakir's hut. and
| which told the brown people when 10 un-
| chain the tigers Of that dreadful massacre.
| And. is IL not passing strange that after
| the lapse of so many centuries the English
| in India should be victims OF almost pre-
| cisey the same uprising which their Saxon
| foremothers planned for the oppressive
| Danes and executed by the sefsame signal
| "a cake? Ii is still told In Nottinghamshire
| that when the marauding Danes invaded
| that region under Sweyn. nearly all the
| men esca ped, while the women were taken
| captives. Ii was these women who formed
| conspiracy TO kill their captors on Ash
| Wednesday, and, TO bind the bloody COM
| pact, all vowed 10 make pancakes on the
| Shrove Tuesday before
| History tells OF appalling massacre Of
| Danes that opening day of Lent long
| centuries ago. for the pancake oath was
| kept. IL is easy enough TO believe that
| some slaughters of mere venerable antiq-
| uty may have been carried out by means
of the silent herald cake.