The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-04-04
From the Washington star.

washington are representatives or tTeSt
lands in which the Easter festivities are
elaborate to the extreme, and marked
by many unique customs and ceremo'
MES. At no time in the year, it seems
do they feel their voluntary exile from
their native lands as keenly as during
the Eastertlde, though, be it empha-
sized, they in no degree imply dissatis'
faction with the American celebration
Of the day OF the risen Lord. 1t is but
natural. however, for them to look ZACH
across the seas and picture the celebra-
tons now transporting in their owl
lands.
To the Baroness Hengelmuller vor
from Austria-Hungary, Easter brings tic
mind a picture OF the quaint n i'm
pressive ceremony, centuries old, that
still marks the observance Of the day
in her country, and especially the
scenes of her fathers castle OF his es-
tate in Galicia.
Easter Is not observed with as much
ceremony here as in Catholic coun-
tries" said her excellency. Easter in
Foland is a great occasion. All, Holy
Week we eat no meat. Good Friday,
dressed in mourning, our women go to
church and pray for an our The grave
of Christ is always represented at the
church, and it is before this that the
prayers are said. Saturday, too. is
spent in fasting and praying.
Easter Sunday the great luncheon or
'Swieceny,' as we call it in Polish, takes
place. At my ather's castle, / remern-
Der, we always prepared for more than
100 hundred guests. The table was
laden with cold meats, pig roasted
whole, various kinds of sausages and
great cakes, or bahia which are always
eaten at Eastertide. During the after
noon visitors call. 1t is the custom for
tho hnSt or1 hnctnSc To J,naf fhntr
guests at the door with a plate of eggs,
when each takes a small piece, and the
greeting of the day, 'Halleluiah,' Is ex-
changed.
"On the day preceding this luncheon
the food has been blessed by the priest.
AS the castle Is usually the center Of
the community, the peasants, or farmers,
as they would be called here, bring
their food there. When the priest
blesses the castle luncheon he also be-
slows a blessing upon the food of the
servants and peasants in the lower hall.
During the entire week following Eas-
ter Sunday visitors are invited to par
take of the cold dishes on the Easter
luncheon table. which is ~replenished
from time to time. of course.
Being a landowner, my father re-
ceived gifts from the peasants at Eas-
terrible. One might bring his best calf,
another his fattest pig, and a woman
her largest chicken or duck. They, in
turn, would be given presents OF money,
a COW, etc.
THE children play with eggs on Jas
ter Sunday in somewhat the same fash
ion they do in Washington with its
egg rolling. In AuStria-Hungary the
same ceremony is observed with the ex-
ception of the great luncheon, and al
ways on Good Friday the emperor, with
his court, attends divine service for an
hour.
ar "A. At. .---
much indeed" concluded the baroness,
"as in the 16 years I AVE been in
America 1 have returned to my home
but once in time for that ceremony. AT
the embassy on Easter we, too, have q
luncheon, but naturally it is on a small
scale"
Easter in France is primarily a floral
one, with the flower market along the
Seine redolent with the perfume of lilies
and other as fragrant though less state
ly blooms. Every one wears a blossom
at Eastertide, and poo indeed is the
household that does not display a floral
symbol of "the resurrection and the
life
1T Is not one of the great celebra-
lion of France said NJ. de Perreti de
la Rocca, first secretary of the French
embassy. 1T is decidedly a children's
day. or course, it is a legal holiday
and the banks, government buildings
and schools are closed. There are the
usual religious services to be found in
a Catholic country. The Partisan child
makes merry indeed with his Easter
eggs, which are generally painted a
vivid red. For the richer children are
eggs of chocolate and sugar, either solid
candy or followed out SO as to conceal
pretty favors in the form of small toys.
Flowers, of course, are to be seen
everywhere"
In Italy. Easter is quite the most Inn
portant religious festival of the year
and q time of public and private re-
joicing. AT Rome on Easter day and
for several days afterward, religious
professions are to be seen on the
streets. Dignitaries Of the church, clad
In gorgeous ra1mnet, march from
church to church, blessing the baptis-
NAL fonts and rekindling the altar fires
that We're extinguished on Good Fri
day in memory of the death Of Christ.
A most unique custom marks the OBJ
of holy week in Florence,
Italy. The chances are that it will be
Gently it has been married by the
deaths and painful burnings of several
of the spectators.
"At loon on Saturday Of holy week."
said one of the secretaries of the Italian
embassy, "a ceremony called the 'scrop-
Rto Z SdiAo ~ Liz tNpiCSlon ol LIE
carr takes place in the Piazzo del Duo
mo. just in front of the Battistero. It
is in fulfllment of a provision in the
will Of the de Pazzi family, an ancient
Florentine household, certain members
OF which brought flints from the Holy
Land with which to kindle the fire on
the affairs at Easter.
THE car, which resembles an altar,
and is nearly as large as a small frame
house, Is drawn to the square before
the cathedral by a team of white oxen,
where it Isl filled with fireworks and
decorated with flowers. A wire is
stretched from the car to the altar in
the cathedral. At the conclusion OF the
service, a wooden device known as q
dove travelling over the wire on a
wheel and bearing a slow fuse, is
lighted from the sacred fire on the al
tar. 1t rushes Town the wire to the car
filled with combustibles. The explosion
that follows is a wonderful pyrotechnic
display. The peasants in n near
Florence attach considerable import
ance to the explosion Of the car and
especially to h uninterrupted descent
Of the dove down the wire: il every
thing transpires without a hitch, they
consider 1t an omen OF plentiful crops
the rest Of the year."
Astounding in quaint customs and
atya n pa CarnY,nniac Nayioos ,,nta11. hor