Evening star., 1936-04-11
White House Egg Rolling
Is Survival of Custom
Originating in England
Kinship Found by Wise Men of Old Between
Open-Eyed Hare and the Watching
Moon in Sky

wait for the first glow In the sky.
Wisps of cloud often presented the
illusion to the credulous by drifting
across the face Of the sun and, ap-
parently, causing it to flicker.
THE Easter bunny has his origin in
Germany, where the hare as
sumed almost as great an Importance
in the minds Of the children as did
Santa Claus. After the youngsters
had gone to bed. their mother dyed
quantities of eggs. and father hid
them about the house in various
places. In the morning the children
were awakened early and, escorted
about the house by their parents, pro-
ceeded to hunt for the eggs. At first.
If none was found, it was considered
an indication that one of the little
ones had been naughty; but as the
treasures gradually came to light and
more and more were discovered, it was
proven that the Easter hare had found
them very good children indeed and
was glad to reward them so hand
somely.
The connection between Easter and
the hare springs. it is believed, from
the bunny's connection with the
moon. Easter, depending as it does
upon the moon, becomes lunar holi-
day, and from very ancient times the
hare has been symbol for the moon.
There are many reasons for this,
among them that the hare Is a noe
turnal animal and comes out at night
to feed, and that hares. unlike rab-
bits, are born with wide open eyes.
The moon, being the open-eyed
watcher OF the skies, and the hare.
born with open eyes, which, fables
told, It never closed. were therefore
regarded as kin by the priests and
wise men of old. In modern America,
the hare has been supplanted by the
rabbit in the Eastertide observances.
***
THE entrance of eggs into Easter
rituals is simpler to explain.
From time immemorial eggs have
been regarded as symbolic of creation
or new birth-according to one an
cient belief the world was Matched
from an egg at season approx
mating the vernal equinox. Parsees
exchange gifts of colored eggs at
their new year festival. which is cele-
brated at this time. Christianity in
vested the egg with a new signifi-
cance-that of the resurrection of
Christ, and in the beginning it was
always colored red in allusion to the
blood shed for sinners.
In the Middle Ages in France, at
the approach of Easter all the hen
roosts were raided and the eggs COL
lected to be offered in tribute to the
king. At the conclusion of high mass
in the chapel of the Louvre, lackeys
brought into the royal enclosure
pyramids of gilded eggs placed in
baskets of straw and leaves. The
chaplain. having blessed them. dis
tributed them to all the persons oi
the court.
Our own Washington egg rolling
On the White House lawn is a direct
survival of an ancient English Gus
tom which had its origin so far back
that it is impossible to trace. And
another very amusing practice which
still holds sway in some parts Of rural
England, am told. is this one: The
children go from house to house. an
Y1nllnrinc their rresence hv means of
clapper, so that the door will be
opened to them. They demand all
the eggs in the house. and are bound
to be given them-if not. they must
be paid an equivalent number of
pennies!
It's just as we'll that that custom
has not been established in WASH
ington-pity the poor housewife dur
ing the Easter season!