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

and the basis of the tradition is probab-
" as old as. the world. Then Easter,
the time of the new year, though our
calendar doesn't make it that, is the
opening time and the word that meant
hare and opener was easily associated
with that season that survives with us
as Easter The negroes have appropri-
ated and amusingly adapted tue symbol,
associating with it the well-known SUI
perstition that there is talismanic viz
tue in the left hind foot of a grave
yard rabbit killed in the dark of the
moon.
The egg is with US even better known
as typifying Easter than is the hare and
perhaps no more anciently originating
symbolism exists. From earliest times
the egg has been the symbol of creation
and it is known that the Persians
thought that the world was Matched
from an egg at the time of the vernal
equinox. So the egg gained its signitic-
ance. The Jews used eggs in their cere-
monies at this season, hence paschal
eggs. Accepters Of one religion call
| heathern people of another and seek
to do away with survivals of the be
liefs Of those in the dark but some
customs viii not be weeded out so have
| to be adapted. With Christianity the
eggs were colored red, symbolic of the
! blood of the crucifed Christ, but that
is forgotten and now they are for sale
in every hue that women wear. In Rus
STA person gives an egg to friend
on the street, the two clink the eggs
together like wine glasses. Then the
situations are exchanged, "'Christ is
risen,' "He is risen indeed
Closely associated with Easter is
- IL L.
called ''good because of the good to
SHINING humanity resulting from the
crucifxion. Some think that it was
called Goodies Friday" There are
many quaint customs that have grown
up about the day. The alteration OF
the cross is special feature of its re
igious observance. In Catholic Eng
land the king used to bless rings or
Good Friday, these were called 'cramI
rings, indicating the special powers
believed to reside in them. The eating
of hot cross buns is one of the best
known of the customs of Good Friday
Everyone has heard of the verses, va
ried in different ways, which used to bt
and are now, called about the streets OF
London on the morning of the day:
One a penny, two a penny
Hot cross buns.
If you have no daughters
Give them to your sons;
But if you have none of these merry lit
tie elves,
Then you may keep them all 70
yourselves
, Chelsea, England, was widely note,
for these very buns and royalty use,
to repair there for "rare Chelsea buns.
l The history of the hot cross bun with
} out doubt goes back to Cecrops iron
r whence it comes down, by way of tn
= Jewish passover cakes to the bun tina
sell by the hundreds of dozens in man
- Of our cities. FBun' is said to b
e from Fboun' which came from tn
r word that meant the sacred OK. TIL
4 mark upon the cake was for ages a crud
T representation of the horns of the sam
p revered OK. The Greeks substitute
T. the cross for the horn marks. perhap
5 because the cross made it easy to d
r. vide the cake into four equal part.
= Some of these cross-marked buns wer
0 buried and have been found in the g,
3 cavated Hereulaneum. Good Frida
Q bread used to be saved by people. graf
ed into water, and taken with grea
r faith which, perhaps, supplied whateve
Q deficiency there was in the curativ
: powers believed to exist in the simpl
d remedy, which, at all events. violate
o no drug act.