The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-31
CELEBRATION OF
GREAT FEAST DAY
Story Of Easter and Description Of Some Of the Easter
Customs--Use Of Eggs and Ilares

pine, VINO uSelL gIalI the year with hcrs
mother, Ceres, in olympus. and half
the year with her spouse, Pluto. in
Hades When Proscrpine returned to
earth the lilies and daffodils blossomed
In her honor. So Eastrc was a goddess
of winds and of flowers. For her,
Easter fires were kindled; her coming
lssignalizing the breaking of winters
Icy sleep Of death and the awakening
OF nature to the resurrection of spring.
Earliest Easter Customs.
With tendency to the realism
which aftcrward resulted in the miracle
! plays OF the early drama, it is not
strange that in many OF the Oldest
| churches in England and on the con-
tinent a holy sepuchre." or tomb,
| was erected near the altar, which at
ton in the Easter ceremonies These
| sepulchres were of wood or stone, sup
| posed to represent the tomb where
IJoseph of Arimathea laid our Lord.
Some like that still preserved at Heck
Iington in Lincolnshire, English, are
very elaborate. This one Just named
| has carved figures of the Roman sol-
diers either on guard, watching, or
tho relief sleeping around the tomb
More commonly, however. these Easter
| sepulchres We're only recesscs ! n tho
| wall by tha side of the cllancel near
the altar; but not a few OF these were
| real tombs. Before these tombs from
| Good Friday till the dawn Of Easter
| when the choir broke forth in the an
them, Christ Is Risen" q watch was
kept and the paschal light was burned.
and the guard maintained with milf
Stary exactitude. Prior to the Reforma-
ton this custom was inyariable in all
churches. After that the custom pass
ed into desuetude.
An interesting book might be filled
| with a description Of Easter customs
| of olden days in every county OF Eu-;
rope. from tho sweet-yoiced singers
Which wake the traveller In the Tyrol
| on Easter morning,sto tho games play
1 ed on the village green's OF England.
1 Everywhere one feature is in evidence.
the eggs-typical Of both the birth
/ and resurrection of our Lord. In no
two countries exactly alike, yet similar
| in their gorgeous, coloring. a unique
1 feature of Tyrolcse Easter eggs Is tho
addition of original notices written
upon the shell, each,being Of an In.
i dividual character to fit the relations
4 between donor and recipient. Especial
\ dishes supposed to be peculiarly fit
/ ting for the day are also found, as in
l England tansy cakes and buildings
4 mark the Easter feast.
The Polish Celebration.
4 In Poland Easter. eve ushers the
Resurrection service" which lasts un-
4 It'll s o'clock. when some authorities
say Christ rose, The churches are
crowded to suffocation; all press
around the high altar where mass is
held. When the supreme moment ar
& rives. ana the Resurrection words are
spoken by the priests. the people as
3 semble at "the sepulchre," saying
Easter hymns and holding lighted
& candies in their hands,
! AS in Russia, in Poland there is
n much Easter gorging as a relaxation
from TIE long Lenten fast when the
people eat no meat for forty days
Even the peasnnts save up for some
eggs, a big loaf Of bread, sausage
J cneeso. ham and cake Those who
of vodka enjoy distinction for tho rest
OF tho year.
Easter Eggs and Hares.
The use OF eggs OF Easter goes back
i, ns far as.the ancient PersIans fire,
worshippers who regard the arrival O
y the vernal equinox as q special bless
|; Ing. Tho cggs colored with Tyria1
!, dyes We're presented by friends to on,
another, tho egg containing the poten
tial bird symbollzing to tho Persian
mind the power OF spring breaking til,
shell Of winter,
The Porsians probably, like othe
branches OF the Aryan family, derive,
> their ideas about eggs from their an
{ cestors, for In India the belief Is al
!, most universal that the world 1t
self was Matched from an egg.
A later English tradition Is that tn
word was created on l1sstar Sunday
The connection8of hares With Easte
9 and Of hares win oggs Is often
! mystery to the average mind, but /
1 IL easily, accounted for In this way,
!, Among all Teutonic PEOPLES the llar
9 was ileld sncred to lgastre, and TIL
{ goddess heihg{ of 3 Ilas tern origin, TIL
y relation OF the hare to the eggs of TIL
Y aAryans and I'ersianss Is at once al
9 parent, TIL goddess was the queen ID
Is spring. I and abon t ,hr Wera In tllel
q mind clustered the e,nblcnasI Of tn
"a 3ges pgrcc ton seas n. 3ss 4: