The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-04-10

II
care. Even now there is scarcely
nation that does not put faith In one
or more OF the Easter omens-
Some :. these attach TO Good Fri
day. In the tine OF Catholic Eng
land there was superstition when
the king publicly honored with MS
trust. Ii was the ceremony OF bless
ing the rings. This was done to pre-
serve tteir wearers from 1.-The fall
ing Sickness" a trouble commonly
known 10 US as cramps. The cramp
ring service was of exceptional orlgi-
nality. Walsh gives vivid descrip-
ton OF il.
"The king and his suite" he tells
us. would proceed in state to the
palace chapel, upon the floor OF which
rested a crucifix upon silken cusn-
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
biesz the cramp rings. which were de-
posited in a 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 a means OF curing severai an
ments. The superstition still hoius
I'm a few places. Good Friday morn,
ing loaves of bread are baked anu
then laid aside until the following
year. when the people crate small
portion o, the bread into water anu
give II To the sufferers.
Who has not heard OF the Engnsi
hot cross bun?" On the morning
Good Friday throughout England th'
street bun vendors usher in the UNI
versal cry of Hot cross buns an,
no family, as a precautionary methoo
II not for their toothsomeness alone
would dare run the risk of not pun
chasing them. Even kings would no
miss eating them. for whoever eat
bun need have no fear OF naVlh
his home destroyed by fire during Tn
coming year.
Early Good Friday morning lare
numbers of men. women and chlidre
start out in quest of customers IL
their fresh, hot buns, which the
guard from the cold with nann
covering And the shops as we'll al
festive with their own supplies OF
The popularity Of the hot cross pu
lies in it's being highly spiced al
bearing on it's brown, sugary surfa
the mark OF a cross
The "one a penny, two a penn
hot cross buns!" have a more ancie
origin than is generally suppose
The name itself Is taken from I
Greek name of certain cake whi
the ancients gave for an offering
the gods. In the biblical period t
prophet Jeremiah had occasion 10
tice this offering. when he saw
fdolatrv of the Jewish women
Pathros, Egypt.
As a preventive OF fevers cert'
nations abstained from eating m
on Easter day. But this pracuce
er obtained in England.
One OF the most ancient and I
versal of all superstitions attach
10 Easter day was that or the dane
sun. At first 1t was believed to dal
over the general Joy at the renewal
natures life in this season or
wear. Later, ii danced over the re:
lection OF Christ. Many centuries
on Easter day people arose early
.,ra5 70 the fields to view
dancing sun.
T, certain countries they had
OF observing the sun at his antics
made him appear more piayfui
ever BY viewing 1t as it rose thro
the morning vapor or watching It's
Election In a stream or pail OF
ter. they could strengthen tneir
,usjon. In Scotland the sun was
rier than anywhere else. for her
was exnected 10 "whirl round III
cart wheel. and give three leaps.
Then one of the greatest conc
OF the day came TO be whether
sun really did dance or not. u
and learned men over all the
set themselves the task OF solving
weighty problem. Sir Thomas Isl
left some quaint ideas on the sub
I'VE shall not. l hope. dispa
the resurrection OF our Redeem
he writes. IF We say that the
doth not dance on Easter day;
though we would willingly assent
any sympathetical exultation. we
cannot conceive therein any
than n tropical expression. Wh'
any such motion there was In
day wherein Christ arose. Scril
hath not revealed, which hath
punctual In other records conce