Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1891 — EASTER EGGS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EASTER EGGS.

A Glance at the Religious Feature of the ,K«g. The egg is the germ of life. From the egg comes forth all things that live and breathe. The egg, therefore, is the emblem of the rising sun, of the coming forth of vernal life—of the bursting of environment the tomb, and coming forth in life. The egg has been intimately connected with religious worship for many thousand years; and yet clings to its place in the ceremonials. The Buddhist, Moslem, Christian—all connect the egg with Easter —with the resurrection —with the coining forth of life. In the matter of color —it sometimes runs to fantasy, but red is commonest—-blood-red —in imitation of the blood that the pre-Christian Mediators shed in giving up their lives for sinful man. Both the idea and color passed into Christian custom. Indeed, it would be difficult to point out the year or century when the Easter egg custom ceased to be Pagan and became Christian, since it has undergone no material change in all the ages. Tracing it back it becomes connected with the crescent moon at Heliopolis—the city of On in the Bible pages, also with the serpent —like as the Eden apple and the serpent Among the Cyprus ruins is found an enormous carved stone egg, adorned with generative emblems. The practice o present n£ eggs to friends on Easter day is Magian or Persian, alluding to the mundane egg for which Ormuzd (Supreme Being) and Ahriman (the Devil) were to contend to the end of all things. It was said that on Easter the earth was hatched or created. In most pagan iands it was a type of the resurrection. The ritual of Pope Paul V. reads: Bless, Lord, we beseech Thee, this Thy creature of eggs, that It may become a

wholesome sustenance to Thy faithful servants, eating it in thankfulness to Thee on account of the resurrection of our Lord. Come with me to Cairo. This is Easter week. These women you see are Moslem —Mohammed is their savior. This is Palm Sunday—and as you see they bind palm twigs about their heads and fingers. Eaoh succeeding day has its peculiar ceremonials. On Shrove Tuesday the diet is cheese broth and onions; Ash Wednesday is Arba Eyub—Job's day; Maundy-Thufsday is their pea soup day. and Gpod Friday is their gum'a ei-maf-ruka —day of butter cakes; and Saturday is sebt cnnur, or Sabbath of light—so named from the sacred fire which on this day bursts forth from the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Now do they strengthen their eyes with powders, get themselves bled and eat colored Easter eggs. On Easter Sunday, ’id en-nusara, they love their neighbors as themselves —even fflhke friendly calls upon their Christian neighbors—calls that are to be returned during the feast of Beriam. In the discussion of Plutarch and Macrobius we find that the egg plays a prominent part in the religions of the ancient world. It was used in auguries, was placed by the Romans upon the tabio at the beginning of the repasts, and at feasts in honor of the dead it was also prominent The ancient Jews at Pasqua, after purifying and cleaning the house, placed hard eggs on the table as a symbol, and also cakes of peculiar form, and dates and figs—three emblems of fecundity. The Greeks and Romans used the egg in expiations, and when they had blessed the houses and temples, and sprickled them with lustral (purification/ Water, they carried an egg with them. The account of blessing the ship by Apuleius might almost stand for a description of 'the tnoderti ceremony at Pasque. “The high priest,” he says, “carrying a lighted torch and an egg, and some sulphur, made the raostsoiemn prayers with his chaste lips, completely purified it, and consecrated it to the goddess. ” Besides the blessing of the eggs and the house, it is the custom in some parts of Italy for the priest at Easter to affix to the door of the palaces and villas a waxen cross to guard against evil spirits —and ie’ahit witfh* the letter M.—Misere«ordia—“Have mercy on us. *

A GLORIOUS EASTER MORN.