The Washington herald., 1910-03-27
CELEBRATION OF EASTER
Holiday, Traced to Pagan Origin, Ranks Mex. TO
Christmas as Festipe Occasion.
By RUDOLPH DE zAPP.

/ - %~DDOAk n DE AAEEs
Easter now receives almost as much
recognition as Christmas, and the lily. as
an emblem of decoration, is taking its
place beside the holly and evergreen.
Like many other festival days that have
come down to the present day from
primitive times. Easter has been chang
ed somewhat from its original character.
The festival was once Thanksgiving
ceremony lasting eight days. the time
conforming to the festivities observed
by the pagans in the spring Of the year.
The derivation of the term Easter
may be traced back to our Saxon ances-
tors. who called this feast "oster," in
memory Of a goddess who was the per-
sonlfication of the East. the morning.
spring, the rising. 1t was the invarIabie
habit of the early Christians TO give a
Christian significance to the established
festivals Of the pagans when they were
too strong to be rooted out.
This was peculiarly easy in the case
of Easter. coming, as it did, at the time
Of the year when the people were re-
joicing at the return OF spring and the
renewing of nature. There has never
been any difference of opinion as TO why
Easter should be celebrated, but the
time of its observance has been the sub
Jet of much careful calculation.
It has been discovered that the observ-
ance Of Easter dates back as far as the
year s. A. D.. and that there was then
much contention as 10 just when the day
should be observed. 1t is supposed that
this contention did not cease until Con-
stantine's time. when the council of Nice.
in the year 325, took the matter in hand
and decreed that Easter must be OBJ
served throughout the entire Christian
world on the same day of the year 1t
was decided that that day should be the
first Sunday after the fourteenth day of
the first Jewish month, but this led 70
some confusion because OF there being
no uniform agreement regarding the
cycle by which the day was TO be regu-
lated. Finally, in the year e6s the Ro-
man rule was adopted making Easter fall
on the Sunday following the fourteenth
day OF the calendar moon. For about
nine centuries this day was observed, and
then a change was made by the authori-
ties of the English Church refusing 10
adopt the reformation of the Gregorian
calendar in the year 15S2, and II was not
until more than a century later that the
rule was adopted that makes Easter fall
on the first Sunday after the full moon
that comes on or next after the 2Ist day
Of March. This makes Easter a movable
festival. but one that cannot come ear
lier than the 22d Of March, nor later than
the 18th OF April. In the year 1913. Eas-
ter fell on the 22d OF March, but that
will not happen again in this century.
The nearest approach to II will be in
the year 1913, when Easter Sunday will
come on the sd OF March Only once in
the present century will Easter Sunday
fall as late as the 25th of April, and
that win be in the year 1919
Prom almost the very first Observance
Of Easter eggs have been used in some
way in the Easter festival. This is
probably because in all ages eggs have
been regarded as not only the type. but
also as the origin of life. In the book
in which are recorded the household
expenses Of Edward I may be seen this
item: "45o eggs for Easter. stained and
covered with gold leaf" The exchang-
ing Of bright-colored eggs at Easter
time among friends is custom of very
recent origin. In some countries the
eggs have been Of silver and gold. and
they have been made hollow so that they
could contain rich gifts OF Jewels A
very old chronicle of central France
gives an account Of a curious custom
that obtained in that part of France.
On Easter Day 100 eggs are distributed
over level place and young and merry
couples dance around and among the
eggs. II they can go through the dance
without either of the couple breaking an
egg It is a sign that they shall become
and that their welded life viii
be one of great happiness. 1t is said |
that the Duke of Savoy and the beauti- |
full gouyernante de Flanders became be- |
uothed after executing this dance
among the Easter eggs, and that their
married life was happy because they |
did not break any of the eggs.
Such emperors as TheodOsius and Val |
entihian marked the occasion by acts Of /
kindness, and the gates of prisons were |
opened. allowing all prisoners but the !
baser sort 10 go free. For the great Joy
that these acts inspired the day was
called Dominica Gaulii.'' the Lord !
Day of JOY" IN some places the clergy. !
in order to further increase the joy of |
the occasion, read from the pulpit hui |
morous stories and legends for the pur- |
pose Of exciting what they termed the /
Easter smile" The ancient habit of |
lifting people in chairs and throwing |
them in the air, and the belief that the /
sun participates in the general happi- |
ness by dancing in the heavens. still 1
prevail in countries where Christianity |
IS not the principal religion.
There are many legends OF Easter Day |
n the different lands. One of the most
beautiful is that after the Cruciaxion
a good and holy monk found the crown |
Of thorns that had encircled the Masters
brow. The monk picked UP the crown
md carried it to the monastery In which
Re dwelt, and he and his companions
ya-ed on IL with fear-din,nnad avas ~