The Washington herald., 1907-03-24
EASTER CELEBRATION
A Pagan Festival Adopted
by the Church.
FEAST BEFORE TINE OF CHRIST
Our Modern Observance Owes Much
20 the Jews-The Goddess Eastre
the Personiacation of spriBg-why
the Easter-egg Came IHtO Being
and How the Rabbit Evolved.

Next Sunday the Lenten season VIII
draw aside its somber curtain and leave
standing in the fullest sunshine-Easter.
.Sackcloth and ashes will give way to
bright colors ana an the flowers Of spring,
.penance and fasting will be displaced by
merriment and sweetmeats. hymns Of
dole will be supplanted by songs Of glori-
deation 10 the risen Lord. Lilies that
seem 10 have grcwn in a night will open;
daisies. whose heads were hidden during
Lent, will wave in every field, roses and
daffodils will take on a deeper color, and
the loyal grass will become greener and
fresher. And for many centuries this
transition from the sadness Of the Passion
to the happiness OF the Resurrection has
been part Of the year
From far back in the first century there
come meager accounts. both from the
Latin and the Greek. Of ancient celebra-
tions at this season. Even before the time
OF Christ an Easter feast was known 10 the
Jews under a different name. and for OBJ
viously different reasons, and the rite was
observed by the Pagans as a tribute TO, the
rising sun. The name, too, is Of Pagan
origin, and was first used by the Anglo
saxons to designate the deity Of the dawn.
Eastre. who was also worshipDed by the
early Teutons under the name Ostara. It
is from these early festivals that many
of our modern ceremonies and popular OBJ
/ tservances come.
The Goddess Eastre.
The goddess EaStre seems 10 have been
the personihcation Of morning. or East.
or the opening Of spring. The worship OF
this deity seems to have taken deep root
among the Teutons. and ii was probably
brought to England by the saxons during
the invasion Of that country. Indeed. its
observance in Northern Germany con
tinued until hundred years ago, when
/ the ceremqnies, which were rapidly de
Iterioraung, vanished and were immedi-
/ atey replaced by the modern Easter.
/ Among the Pagans it was a festival of
lunrestrsined joy into which but little so
| Ilemnity entered it was feast ike the
/ May-day frolics in England. and gay col
4 ors. dancing, and good things to eat were
I the paramount consideration, along with
/ Ibonhres. athletic contests. and many other
rites. until the Christian Church gave her
Significance to those observauCes which
she could not wipe cut So the divinity
OF dawn and spring was forgotten.
Our feast Of Easter owes more to the
/ Jewish observances than 20 the Pagans,
although il Is not impossible that the
/ jewish passover was preceded for many
years by TIE dances Of the bacchantes
and the worship OF the god Thor. Ali
( Christian people. With the exception of
tho German group. call the anniversary
/ Of Christs resurrection by some modid-
| cation Of the word 'pascha," or pass
Owe which Is plainly Of Hebrew origin.
/ a Jewish Celebration.
This festival is celebrated on the four
teenth evening Of the Hebrew month
''Nisan," and IT was instituted in com
/ nenoration Of the deiiverance of the
Jews in Egypt Il was and is a perpetual
ordnance Of the Hebrew people. It is
certain that Christ celebrated the feast
OF the Passover the night before He was
crucihed. and as the Jews We're COM
manded TO remove leaven from their
houses during this period. so Christians
are told to purge the leaven Of wicked
ness.
Our Easter-the celebration Of the
Eesurrection Of Christ-goes back almost
to the time Of His death, although II Is
hardly possible 70 determine the date OF
it's inception Certain il is that the OBJ
servance was commenced by the early
! Christians. for IN the hrst century we
/ have voluminous accounts of Quarrels be-
I tween churchmen as 10 the proper date
for the festival. In the writings Of his
torians who lived in the centuries fol
lowing any number Of illusions are made
to Easter feasts, so that It has never
been allowed to lapse. nor has the funda-
mental method of celebration changed in
any way. In its earliest inception it was
the most approved time for administering
baptism. but as time went on this cere-
mony was more generally performed
throughout the year, although even now
in some communities Easter Sunday is
looked on as the proper time for this
! function. The courts of justice were
/ closed: all markets, save those where
/ ne=,ers were sold remained idle: aims
were given, and the poor were feasted IN
the marketplsces and IN the churches un-
I'll this practice became so disOrderly thai
1t was abandoned. Slaves were given
their freedom and as the austeriies OF
Lent were over-austerities much more
rigorous than ours-the day was given
over to every kind Of enjoyment.
A Religious Change.
One striking advantage which our Gus
tom of observing the day maintains Owe
the habit of the earliest Christians is tn,
general reverentssl 1rd religious spirit
that pervades even the gayest moments
In the early days this was not always so
as. according to the best authorities. ever
1.-THE preachers made their sermons joculal
until the practice was stopped by III,
heads of the church. The Reformation
caused no change in the pomp and ceTe-
mony with which Easter was observed
by the older body of the church. but Ger
tain doetrina1 differences gave the fol
lowers Of Martin Luther less opportunity
for display, so nat for many years tht
Easter ceremonSg in Protestant ehurche.
was ObserV ed with solemn dignity, oui
with little noauty and elegance. OF late
years. however, there has been growing
tendency to return to the methods of tht
older institution and to make Easter Z
feast Of beauty Affairs shine resplenden
with myriad of candles; golden vessels
reflect the sunshine of the day, Eastel
lilies bloom in every church. and il
almost every house, and In almost every
breast the deep significance Of the feas
is felt. Indeed, America and its celebra
ton has come 10 the first rank and com
lpares favorably with any other countr.
IN the world. with the possible exception
of France. where the land is literally GOV
cred with flowers on that day. Amerie;
seems to have taken its inspiration from
the Romans, whose gorgeous display
come to us in every history.
Time for Easter.
The proper time for the celebration o
Easter has occasioned no little eontro
versy. AS early as the second centur!