Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1910-03-24
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.GIjJIelure 3

MTNOIW religious ODSeTVduCeb-B goes
MMNN back to very early times.
agE In primitive days a spring
festival was associated with
various special nature deities, but
1t passed into the Christian ritual
principally through the Jewish feast
of the Passover. This, in the
early traditions of the wandering
Bedouin Semites, was sheep-shear-
ing festival of which the principal
feature was the sacrificial offering of
the paschal lamb to Yahwe in the
month of Nissan, in the spring, which
marked the beginning Of the oriental
summer. In the agricultural stage of
Semitic evolution 1t underwent CORE
spending changes, and unleavened
bread-the first bread made of the
early harvest grain which begins to
Palestine and other Semitic lands
was added. These primitive agricul-
tural festivities were eventually COM
'bined with the beginning of the Jew
ish national life that followed upon
the exodus of the Israelites from
Egypt.
Similar spring festivals, associated
with special gods and goddesses and
involving the sacrifice of lambs, sheep
or cattle, were held among other Sc
mites and even in Cyprus, where such
sacrifices, about April 2, were held
sacred to Astarte. Certain ceremo-
MES were observed in honor of the
renewal of natures fertility at this
time; the bonds Of kinship were
drawn closer by the meal which
formed a part of the festivities, and
was accompanied with joyous songs
and other manifestations Of an exu-
berant ature-worship.-
After the beginning of our era the
churches of Asia Minor, among whose
members was q great number of Jud-
aizing Christians, kept their paschal
festival on the same day as that of
the Jewish 2assover-that is on the
14th of Nissan. The churches of the
west, however, remembering that
Christ arose from the dead on a Sun
day, kept their anniversary on the
Sunday after the 14th of Nissan. This
went on quietly for time. Then con-
troversies arose about A. d. 1853, and
continued off and ON with consider
able acrimony during several centu-
ries
Constantine at the Oecumenical
council of Nice "a. D. $3.50 had 1t de-
creed that the day should be cele-
brated-not on the day of the Jewish
Passover-but on the Sunday follow
ing. At the same time the bishop Of
Alexandria was appointed to give no
tice of the proper day to the pope and
other patriarchs because of the Egyp-
tians' pre-eminehce as astronomers.
This however, did not permanently
settle the question, or to be more &C
curate, other disputes arose on the
subject in the course of time.
However this may be, Easter be-
came one of the three great Christian
festivals-the other two being Christ
mas and Whitsuntide. From the early
days Of Christianity Easter has been
accounted, If anything, the greatest Of
the three. On Easter morning the
early Christians greeted one another
reverently with the words: Christ
Is risen," to- which the man addressed
gravely replied: Christ is risen In
deed" or hath appeared unto Simon"
This quaint custom has been pre-
served in the Greek church. In the
east the old name was retained and
the festival of the resurrection was
known as "the Paschal Feast" In
the sixth of the Ancyran canons, how
ever, 1t is called 1.-The Great Day."
AS for the etymology of the English
Easter, 1t is sought in Eostre-the
name Of Saxon nature deity, whose
feast was celebrated In the spring
with bonfires and rejoicing. AS every
one knows, Easter is a movable feast,
changing according to the full moon
that comes after the vernal equinox, or
March 81. If the full moon chances
to come on Sunday. Easter is held
on the following Sunday.
In certain localities special cakes
were baked and distributed at this
time. This custom prevailed not only
In antiquity but survived down to mod
ern times-notably in England. The
Passover bread also belongs to this
series Of survivals. At Chester, Eng
land. the day was marked with a
great football game. Other games
were also played. and even women
played team games. Everywhere 1t
was festival of joy. In the east
IT. is known as 1.-The Bright Day."
Dances and farcical exhibitions were
held and even the clergy in the pulpit
told funny stories, stirring their hear
ers to laughter (risus paschalis)
This was nut a stop to by the reform