The Washington herald., 1907-03-24

N y "A ~ q "
however. only settled the point that
Easter was to be held not on q certain
day OF the month. but on a Sunday. In
order 70 ascertain with certainty the ex-
act date on which Easter should fan
every year the Nicean council placed the
matter IN the hands Of the Bishops Of
Alexandria. which was the seat Of math-
ematical knowledge of the then known
world. After evolving a cycle, which Il
the foundation Of the Gregorian, and
which is technical almost to a fault, the
Alexandrians finally announced that
Easter should always come on the first
Sunday after the pasehal full moon; that
is, the full moon which happens on o.
after the vernal equinox. the 2lst Of
March. The cycle is arranged In a tabular
form, and is an unfailing method Of de-
termining the movable feasts OF which
Easter is the first and most important
II computes the date on which the feast
will fal centuries ahead, and determines
that Easter can never come before the
22d OF March or after the 25th Of April
During this century Il viii never come on
March p, but in 1913 II falls on the 25d,
while in isls It will be April ..
Easter Customs.
Both the pagan and the Jewish observ-
anoes have been merged into the observ-
ances OF the Christians The joy Of the
pagan AT the rising Of the sun and al the
awakening of nature from the dead Of
winter becomes the joy Of the Christian
at the rising OF the sun Of Righteousness
the Son Of God. The bOn1res which are
lighted IN some OF our cities and which
were almost universal early In the last
century are but a modern development OF
the great pasehal tapers which lighted
the old oathedrals. and which weighed in
many cases three hundred pounds Indeed,
every Easter custom has its traeeable
source, although some OF the origins are
mooted. The inevitable egg is the chief
Of the disputed appurtenanc-s. Certain it
Is that every Easter ceiebre ton, whether
II be pagan or Christian, was incomplete
without the egg. The Jews used 1t in the
Feast Of the Passover, but no document
is left as which explains why. The Per-
slams. when they observed the festival Of
the spring, offered each other eggs but
they have given no absolute reason for it,
nor have they attempted to explain SIS
origin IN the moorland sections Of Scot
land IL was the custom Of the children 20
hunt wild fowls eggs for breakfast on
Easter Sunday. and although IL was
thought lucky 10 find them. no explana-
tlons were offered. And al over this
country the kettles are kept boiling and
fingers are diseolored while egg after egg
Is made ready and dyed.
Eggs and Rabbits.
Rolling eggs and picking eggs has be
/ come a habit with the American people
and even the elders take more than a
/ passing interest in it. Although this is q
/ fact IL Is likewise certain that no one
has furnished the indubitable reason. Il
/ IS most probable that We use eggs al
Easter time because they symbolic re-
vivihcation, the life Of nature, the bud.
ding forth OF life in the spring. which Is
/ usually embiematic OF the resurrection
and a future life.
A thousand theories have been advanced
as 10 the rise of the egg habit. but the
above solution. which Is generally &C
lcepted. is probably the most plausible one
/ Some wag suggests that as the theatrical
season closes with Easter, people Will find
no more use for the eggs on actors and
[ roH them away; another intimates that
/ the surfeit Of this chicken-food which
/ Lent compels induces the picking and de
strOying OF them, but neither OF these
statements has acquired much OF a fol
/ lowing
/ The late arrival Of the rabbit Ia the
whirl Of gayety IS hard to account for
/ He seems TO have nothing 20 do with eggs
with bunfires. with spring openings, oI
with pleasure at the departure of the de
I
/ IN their day there was no such thing as
I rabbit at Easter time, and even the olde
children remember a time when the rab
/ bit, outside OF Joel Chandler Harris. was
very commonplace animal. Perhaps IN,
solution may be in the fact that mother
rabbits have so large a bevy OF little one.
about them in spring THAI they seem to b'
/ lin harmony with the opening of the sea
son Then. too. there is the uupoeti,
theory that an advertisement cf famou
dye first painted rabbits on its posters
and that following casters saw its cOun
lterpart on Easter greetings in shop win
dOWs and in fuzzy limitations.
/ Wherever he comes from il is certain
that Brcr Rabbit is now a part of IN
Easter time. and no one seems TO worr!
exceedingly as 10 the authenticity OF hi
f pedigree. Nor does II matter 70 anybodl
the history Of Easter. for It comes even
year and brings with il the same beauty
the same flowers, the same attire, and tn
same merriment.