The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-03-28
YITH the celebration of East.
! er this year it is of interest
! to trace that observance to


its source and note the man.
ner in which it is cOmmemOrated in
Jerusalem. Particularly Is this survey
of interest at the present time as the
attention Of the reading public has
been drawn to the capture of the Holy
City and it's occupation by the Brit
fish.
For many centuries the season Of
Lent has been very important period
of the year In the Holy Land, and es-
pecially in the city of Jerusalem. At
this time the city is filled, often to
overaowing, with pilgrims-Jews,
christians and Moslems-from all
countries Of the world to worship at
hts sacred shrines.
The Holy City is essentially and
strictly religious every day in the year,
but particularly during Lent. To de-
clare oneself to be- without any re-,
ligious creed in Jerusalem Is to invite
and gain distrust and thinly yelled con-
tempt, and an intangible ostracism
from all classes and creeds of the citi-
zens.
The Jewish pilgrims are the least In
numbers. Their chief point of sacred
Interest is that portion of the ancient
wall of the Notifications of their form
er temple on Mount Moriah, commonly
known as the "Wall of Wailing," or
"Jewish Wailing Place." The Mount
of Olives, the Tombs of the Prophets,
and other minor landmarks of bygone
ages when they owned the land are
objects Of veneration. Added to these
is the rare opportunity Of celebrating
the Passover among their Hebrew
brethren in Jerusalem. ~"'
Moslems From All the. World.
In normal times, when the world is
not rent by war, the Moslem pilgrims
come from every country of earth, as
we'll as from the surrounding towns
and villages of Palestine and Syria.
They come to worship In companies
In the same manner Of making pill
grim journey as was done thousands Of
years ago with the music Of lutes,
tabrets and cymbals, of harps and
drums, chanting sacred invocations
and carrying enormous flags on which
are inscribed or broidered the attrib-
utes of and praise to God. Thus they
journey to and walk into the Holy
City. samuel said unto Saul: A.
ter that thou shalt come to the hill of
God it shall come to pass when thou
are come thither to the city, that thou
shalt meet company of prophets (re-
iigious orators) coming down from
the high place (sacred shrines) with
psaltery and tabret and flute and
harp before them and they shall
prophesy'" Il Sam. 10, 81
The ecclesiastical year of Islam, con-
sisting of twelve lunar months, causes
all the other feasts and fasts to rotate
around the solar year. But this an
uual pilgrimage to Jerusalem during
Lent, to the Mosque of the Holy Rock
on Mount Moriah and to the tomb Of
Moses, the great lawgiver, on the west
bank of the river Jordan, is an excep-
ton. It is always arranged to take
place during the Lenten season Of the
orthodox Greek church. The reason
given for the exception of this pill
grimage from the lunar calendar Is
that the change was instituted after
the final expulsion of the Crusaders
from the Holy Land as a precautiOn
against any renewed attempts of the
Christians to wrest Jerusalem from
the Moslems.
Rival Pilgrims Meet.
From Chistmastide until Easter pill
grims from Greece, Russia, the Danu-
bian provinces, France, Italy, Spain
and all other orthodox Greek and Cath
olic communities used to come by tens
of thousands, all armed, and full OF
religious zeal and enthusiasm, to wor-
ship at the Tomb of the Savior, the
Calvary, and all other sacred shrines
connected with the history Of his life
and teachings. Consequently the Mos