Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-04-17
Caster Customs
Of manp lambs
Quaint Practices Found Wherever
the Day Is Observed

1u toms are in vogue at the Eas-
NV ter season in many lands.
Many CT these customs date back to
centuries ago, and the legends of their
origination are almost obscured in an
tiquity. Such, for example, is the
practice of lifting" from which our
present nursery game of making
chair" by two children clasping hands
for third to sit upon was derived.
This was an old Easter custom in
which two persons lifted third three
times.
If anyone refused to be lifted, he or
she must pay slight forfeit, forfeits
being applied to buy refreshments
after the village games. A kindred
custom was that which prevailed in
the Yorkshire villages, of taking the
buckles from each others shoes and
demanding a forfeit for their return,
the earnings being applied to the same
end as those obtained in the lifting.
In Hungary, when Easter Sunday
comes everything Is gladness.
Wreaths of green leaves are hung in
the windows, and the young girls of
the towns and villages, all dressed in
white, walk in a procession to the
church, carrying branches of the bud
ding spring leaves 1t Is very pretty
sight. After the young girls the older
people walk in procession. The cler-
gy, in their robes, and acolytes, car
rying large gilded cross, walk at
the head of the procession to the
church. There the people lay offerings
of money at the feet of the holy image.
Easter Monday is the favorite we'd
ding day among the Hungarians, as
it is thought that marriages made on
that day are sure to be fortunate, SO
the priests are kept very busy.
The custom called watering" on
Easter Monday is extremely odd, and
people who have travelled and studied
much say that it is not to be found
in any other country save Hungary
he men take water in bottles ant
pitchers and throw it over the girls
they meet In the street, whom they
know, or call at their houses anG
throw it on the person who opens the
door, IL it is woman. The funny
part is that the more drenched the vic.
tins are the better they like it, as they
think it brings them good fortune fol
the year. Everybody used to do this
but now the fashionable young mer
take spraying bottles of perfume. Or
Tuesday the young women retaliate
and the men often find themselve.
drenched, most unexpectedly, from ;
window or door or as they pass /;
drinking place in the street.
Instilled by nursery lore and yer!
ancient is the belief of German chill
dren that on Easter eve snow-whit,
hare visits every household where tn
the little folks have been good, ODE
dent, truthful and kind to each 9th
err" since the previous Easter. Timi,
after the nature of its kind, it wait
until everybody is asleep and thel
soft-footed it brings and secretes il
odd out-of-the-way places any mum
Der of lovely, wonderful colored egg
that the children may find and enjo
on Easter morning.
Many familiar pictures of scenes Il
the Tyrol are the representation of tn
Easter custom. The men go about Il
their picturesque costumes, their broa
brimmed hats trimmed with fres
flowers. and sing the Easter hymn
to the accompaniment of their guitar:
The people come out to the doors @
their houses and join in the choruse,
and treat the singers with hospitality
giving them eggs and wine. All da
they continue their ceremony, an
when the night comes on childre
accompany them, bearing lighte
torches.
In ancient days it was a practic
among the preachers to introduc
: facetious stories into their sermons o
Easter, to set the example of the dis
persing CT the gloom of the Lente
season.