Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1907 — Easter Customs. [ARTICLE]

Easter Customs.

The customs, traditions and superstitions associated with the observance of Easte- are almost without number. How they originated is often shrouded in mystery, because in many instances the original was known in the Pagan observance of the festival, rather than to the Christion. Others, indeed, are evidently Christion in origin, as is doubtless the following: The early Christians used to greet each other on Easter morning with the salutation: “Christ is risen.” “Christ has risen, indeed, and hath appeared to Simon,” was the reply. It is said that many members of the Greek church still hail each other on Easter day according to this ancient formula. The giving of Easter eggs is the custom more than any other associated with this season, for it is the most widely known, as well as the oldest of Easter customs. In early Pagan days, when the spring festival was observed generally, the egg was symbolical of the universe, and the breaking of eggs at the spring festival typified the breaking of the bands of winter and the release of Nature and fruit and grain life from cold and darkness. When the Christian church began Its observance of Easter this practice was carried over. The eggs, however, were usually sent to the priests to be blessed and sprinkled with holy water. Later on the eggs were colored and decorated and exchanged as gifts. During the last few years artificial eggs of china, pasteboard, candy and satin have been employed as gifts, and many dainty surprises have taken the place of the genuine hen fruit