Evening star., 1938-04-17
By Constance Porter.

IL celebrating the Easter festival,
which since times immemorial
has sienified the joyful reawakening
Of nature In the warm STRINGS OF
sprinstime.
TO the Christian world Easter Is
primarily commemorative Of the Res
surrection Of Jesus Christ. But the
celebration Of Easter Is universal
one, tracing far back into the dimmest
reaches Of recorded history. 1t is
found in every land. in every cline
and In every creed.
For centuries beyond counting Easter
has been the season Of the renewal ot
life in every form, the season of color
and gladness and fragrance and
beauty and the Joy Of living.
Among all peoples, regardless Of
race or belief, Easter traditionally is a
time Of transcendent happiness.
A SIDE from the church services
which characterize Easter in the
United States one of the most dis
tinguished phases Of the festival IN
this country is that of bedecking one
self in new clothes and of carrying
out the original idea back of it by
providing profuse floral displays. The
custom of acquiring new clothes at
this season unquestionably comes from
An early desire on mans part to EMU
late nature. which each year so mi
raculously earbs her lesser children.
Easter in the United States thus,
as elsewhere. has material as we'll as
spiritual meaning. Today the thor
ouehfares of every city and town will
be crowded with men, women and chill
dren in the years largest fashion
parade; parade, which. while it
may seem outwardly material, never
theless has finer significance If one
traces the custom far back through
the centuries to It's origin.
Sunrise services are another attrac-
tive phase Of Easter celebrations.
Those at Bethlehem. Pa: Salem, N. c.,
and at Mount Rubidoux. near River
side, Calf. are among the Oldest and
most famous. The first Moravian
service at Bethlehem took place on
April l3. 1882. Two years before
that date the colony had been formed,
and the custom Of Easter sunrise
services was brought by the settlers
from their native town Of Herrnhut,
6axony.
WISELY the early church adapted
to its use the pagan ceremonies
to which the people were welded by
age-old traditions and customs. Easter,
which to the pagan peoples meant
Joy at the rising of the sun and
the resurgence of life in all of nature
after the long night of winter, became
glowing happiness at the rising of
Christ from His entombment.
How the Easter season got its name
Is a matter made more puzzling be-
cause of the poetic Imagination of the
Venerable Bede. that learned English
monk. In setting his pen to the task
of recording all human knowledge,
Bede ascribed the origin Of the name
Easter" to Teutonic goddess. Ostara.
a glorious beauty who personified
spring.
The resemblance between the sounds
of the two words. with the further
complication that Easter is "Ostern"
in the German language. convinced
many historians Of Bede's scholarly
accuracy Further research. however,
tends to indicate that he was writer
of considerable imagination who
created the goddess Ostara to explain
the phenomenon.
The generally accepted derivation
Of the name is less poetic. It is
traced to the "Eostur- -monath' and
the pagan feast which took its name
from that month. And "Eostur-
monath," our April, got its name
from no more romantic fact than that
the spring sun had its birth in the
East. So. of course, did the suns of
all other "monaths," but none of them
were 50 prominent in primitive mans
calendar.
A LwAYs a variable feast day,
Easter still remains so. The
method by which its date Is calculated
today reaches far back into early
Christian times. The Epochal Council
of the Christian Church, held at
Nicsea IN 325, decreed Easter should
fall on the first Sunday following
the Paschal full moon. which happens
upon or next after March 81, the
proximate date OF the vernal equinox
It was not mere chance which die
tated this choice of dates. The devout
Travelled long distances to attend some
of the most impressive yearly Easter
festivals of that era and moonlit nights
enabled them to cover greater dis
tances In a limited time. The degree
of variability in the date of Easter
is 35 days. 1t may come as early
as March % or as late as April Is.
The holy day retains the essence
of the holiday which antedates it.
Easter Sunday quickly became known
as Dominica Gaudu, or Sunday Of Joy.
It was looked upon as a fortuitous
baptismal season. The gladsome spirit
moved all participants to kind and
loving consideration of the less fortu-
nate. The pursestrings of the rich
were loosened and the slaves were
given their freedom.
Church services in celebra ton of
the resurrection always have been per-
vaded with an aura of exaltation
Bringing the "risus Paschalis," or
Easter smile, to the faces of parish
toner's was the object of humorous
stories and legends related by the
clergy Of early times.
or CUSTOMS that cluster around