The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-10

ASSoC4aJlon VI Goou rIAudy Will
Easter.
Easter is rich in customs of ancient |
origin as well as a day designated for
the observance of the greatest of the
events upon which our religion is
founded. In almost every Brattleboro
store, on every side, one may see the
latter day fruitage of the traditions
and beliefs which have sprung into
life around Easter day and the season
of reawakening which it typities. The
egg, the chicken. the rabbits and hares
that are the well-known symbollsms Of
the Easter season, even the milhner s
dear creations, are modern evidences
of the survival of customs centuries
old, for among those of Easter time are
some of the very oldest in the world.
The resurrection of Christ, the observ-
ance of which we are most conscious,
is a recent addition to the significance
of the day. The popularity of Easter
tnery, Easter hares, Easter eggs and
chickens, all these had their origin
ages back of the time of the man from
which the years of our time are num-
bered. Many ages and different coun-
tries have contributed to cause candy
to be sent in chickens and eggs and
rabbits and to make ''hot cross buns -
eaten on Good Friday. The very name
of this holiday, most sacred to Christ
ianity, is from the name of a heather
goddess.
The name which the day bears is a
key to its original significance. Ostara
was the Saxon goddess of the East,
the morning and the spring. In Anglo
Saxon she was called Eostre. and
April was dedicated to her, and to
this day a German name for Easter
is Osterfest So things typical of re
iuvenation, new born life, have at
tached themselves to Easter till peo-
pie rarely wonder why or whence. The
Jewish Passover is an ancestor of our
Easter day, incOngruous as it may seem
for the crucifiers of the founder of our
religion to contribute to our in
heritance in the day set to commemO-
rate his rising from the death the Jews
gave him. Many peoples have worship
ed with varying rites during the Joy
Gus season when the world bursts into
new life. 1t is q season when humanity
must feel iovous and thankful as sure
as the solar system is working accord
ing to the dictates of the almanac for
what savage from which could spring
so glorious though modest, a people as
we, could fail of feeling happy and
grateful in the spring though he had no
more adequate means of expression
than wagging the tail not yet evolved
away. The Jews are only one of the
many who had religious Observances
for this season. There were times wher
the Jewish Passover and the Christian
Easter were observed on the same day
and tits reported that there were hot
words at tn council of Nicaea in 1925 be
cause Of this Very thing. Terms in oul
language are remnants of the time
when it was the Passover season-pas
chal lamb and pasehal or pase eggs ar,
examples.
The Christian Easter was originally
sort of thanksgiving time with an eight
days observance, but perhaps as tn,
world became buster, the season Of cele
hration was shortened till it becam
n single day. Times were when tn
clergy told stories to their people OF
this day, monks played ball in churcl
with pase eggs thrown about and tans.
cakes as prizes People used to 90 abou
on Easter day promiscuously kissing
one another and exchanging the salu
tatiOns - Christ is risen 80 He is ris
en- indeed But humanity, out grow
ing its childhood, sought dignity t
cloak its diffidence and substituted ex
travagance for familiarity. The custo1
of kissing died out. The superstition
that it was unlucBy not to wear neJ
clothes on Easter, for the ironcla
necessity of Easter suits and shoes an
gowns and bonnets was once but
harmless superstition, has grown migl
~. Then one needed but to wear some
thing new, perhaps an ineXpensiv
tTife and far different than now wer
the accepted ideas of women s suffrag
and man 5 suffering. As one authc
resignedly writes, a strange "allianc
of polite society and the churches
makes "Easter a marked day"
The rabbit, more correctly the har
is one of the commonest of the warrior
surviving symbolism of Easter. Cand
rabbits, rabbits to hold candy, bah
rabbits and rabbit monstrosities
many forms attest the substantial su
vival of the ancient traditional belle
which came from Germany where it
still cherished almost as heartily as OF
st. Nicholas, ''Santa Claus, - traditio
Little German children are early il
bued with the firm belief that the Eas
er hare brings to good children beaut
full eggs which he leaves about the hon
for the little people to discover in IL
morning. The Easter hare is pu,
white and, though he is not wont
frequent chimney fiues, he comes wi
much the same mystery as the eIusi,
st. Nicholas. Eggs of all hues, Ill
those rolled on the White House law
are hidden in corners and out of the w;
places to be found in the morning. T
explanation of the tradition depen
upon the hare being noctural ANNA
through that it came to be symbolic
the moon. The date Of Easter was d
= I, L
with their eyes open and were new
thought to close them The common
rabbit is born blind like most other a
imals. 1t used to be believed that t
moon and hares could change their sc
The origin of the tradition must
very, very old for the same Egyuti
word meant "hare' and "openel