The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-04-10

~ centuries to be passed
down with the greatest
care. Even now there is scarcely a
nation that does not put faith in one
or more or the Easter omens.
Some OF these attach to Good Fri
day. In the time OF Catholic Eng.
land there was superstition which
the king publicly honored with his
trust. II was the ceremony OF bless
ing the rings This was done TO pre-
serve their wearers from the fall
ing sickness" trouble commonly
known to us as cramps. The cramp-
ring service was OF exceptional origi-
nality Walsh gives vivid descrlp-
ton OF It.
The king and his suite" he tells
us, would proceed in state to the
palace chapel. upon the floor OF which
rested crucifix upon a silken cush.
ion, and In front OF which was spread
a rich carpet. The king would creep
along the carpet to the crucifix-as
token OF absolute humility-his al
moner creeping after him. Having
reached the crucifix he would there
bless the cramp rings, which we're de-
posted in silver basin. After this
was done the queen and her ladies'
in-waiting entered the chapel and also
crept TO the cross. This completed
the ceremony and the rings had been
transformed into the most potent
remedial agents"
Drinking a mixture of bread and wa
ter was means of curing several all
ments. The superstition still holds
in a few places. Good Friday morn
ing loaves of bread are baked and
then laid aside until the following !
year, when the people CRATE a small
portion of the bread into water and /
give it to the sufferers.
Who has not heard Of the English
hot cross bun?" On the morning of
Good Friday throughout England the
street bun venders usher in the uni
versal cry of Hot cross buns" and
no family, as a precautionary method,
If not for their toothsomeness alone,
would dare run the risk of not pur-
chasing them. Even kings would not
miss eating them, for whoever eats
a bun need have no fear OF having
bis home destroyed by fire during the
coming year.
Early Good Friday morning large
of men, women and children
start out in quest of customers for
heir fresh hot buns, which they
guard from the cold with a flannel Z
covering And the shops as well are
estive with their own supplies OF 1t.
rhe popularity of the hot cross bun
les in its being highly spiced and
'earing on its brown, sugary surface
he mark Of cross.
The "one a penny, two a penny,
lot cross buns!" have a more ancient
rigin than is generally supposed.
The name itself is taken from the t
ireek name OF a certain cake which S
be ancients gave for an offering to O
be gods. In the biblical period the t
rophet jeremiah had occasion to no t
Ice this offering, when he saw the t
1olatry of the Jewish women at p
'athros, Egypt C
AS a preventive of fevers certain c
ations abstained from eating meat
n Easter day. But this practice new c
+ obtained in England d
One of the most ancient and uni il
ersal Of all superstitions attaching Z
, Easter day was that of the dancing e
IN. At first It was believed to dance Il
yer the general joy at the renewal of Of
ature's life in this season OF the e.
ear. Later, it danced over the resur- r;
,ction of Christ Many centuries ago
] Easter day people arose early and gl
,paired to the fields to view this q
lncing sun.
In certain countries they had way te
observing the sun at his antics that OF
ade him appear more playful than th
er BY viewing it as it rose through ca
e morning vapor or watching it's re- a,
.ction in stream or a pail OF wa dt
r, they could strengthen their IL or
sion In Scotland the sun was mer- m
er than anywhere else, for here 1t ga
rs expected to "whirl round like a is
rt wheel, and give three leaps" it
Then one OF the greatest concerns ra
the day came to be whether the tri
n really did dance or not. Grave an
d learned men over all the world tn
themselves the task Of solving the
Eighty problem Sir Thomas Brown hi
t some quaint ideas on the subject. az
I'VE shall not, | hope, disparage ou
9 resurrection of our Redeemer."
writes, IF we say that the sun IL
tn not dance on Easter day; and is
ough we would willingly assent into eff
y sympathetical exultation, yet we
lnot conceive therein any more fol-
In tropical expression. Whether tn,
Y such motion there was in that pu
Y wherein Christ arose, Scripture frc
III not revealed, which hath been prt
lctual in other records concerning as
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