EASTER FEAST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 87, 13 April 1933, Page 6

EASTER FEAST.

SOME CURIOUS RITES.

(By PENFLEX.)

Easter as we know it is strictly a Christian festival. In the early stages of Church history it was observed at one and the same time with the Jewish Passover. Eventually, however, the Church discriminated it from the Old Testament festival on the ground that the Resurrection took place on the first day of the week following the Passover. And since Sunday was the proper day for its observance, being the third day after the Crucifixion, it was definitely, fixed that it should be the Sunday between the loth and 21st day of the moon in the first month of the Jewish lunar year. This arrangement was decided' upon in the sixth century. There was much disputation concerning the matter before the British Church finally adopted the date which had been agreed upon at Rome, the question being settled at the Synod of Whitby, Yorkshire, in 064. The festival —always a reiigious one—comes, however, from very hoary clays, and was observed about the time of the spring equinox, marking the opening of! the natural year, winter being over and earth beginning to show signs of new life and activity. Sacred fires were lit in the temple of Vesta at Rome on the first clay in the month of March, the recognised beginning of the Roman year. This is still a "day of bonfires" in certain parts of Europe, the hill on which they are lit being known as the "Easter Mountain." It was commonly believed by the peasants that all fields and houses upon which these fires shone were sure to enjoy immunity from disaster by flame or disease. The greater the fires, the better for all. People of all ages would, as soon as the flames died down, leap over the remains. Cattle would be driven through the ashes as a safeguard against sickness. Games, music and dancing would be indulged in; plays performed, and special cakes made. These cakes were the original of our hot cross buns. Pigments were used in colouring eggs to be presented to friends. Hence tlie' Easter egg qf to-day. Very often hard-boiled eggs were dyed by means of wild flowers. Blossoms of yellow lilies, for example, crushed and dropped into the boiling water in which the eggs were hardened, made .them the required tint. The methods by which we now effect these beautiful hues for a like purpose were not then known. The Maoris connected the blessings of light with the remarkable qualities of the egg. According to legend, the 'earth was in utter darkness until a mighty chief threw out into space an egg. This, hurtling through the air, developed luminosity, and forthwith became the blazing sun which brought light, warmth and fertility to all. The egg has figured among the Eastertide customs in many parts of the world. The Chinese, for instance, held that the primeval darkness was agelong until the first god was born from a mysterious egg. The major part of the broken shell was used by the newly-created deity to form the earth, while the smkller portions served in making the stars. * In some parts of Germany, as soon fls the sun begins to set over the horizon a great fire is lit on many a hilltop, and constantly fed with straw, turf and wood. In Schaumberg (on the Weser) a tar barrel is tied on to a fir tree; the whole is then enveloped in straw and set flre to. This is at once a signal to young folk to begin singing and'dancing, which they do lustily, waving their hats and even casting handkerchiefs into the flames, as their contribution to the maintenance of the rite. On Easter Sunday in certain places the house lamp is lit from the Easter fire which has been ignited from a spark caused by striking one piece of steel against another. The people crowd near this fire, bearing wooden crosses. Setting these 011 fire, they preserve the charred remains for an entire year, believing good fortune will visit them. Some of these customs are gradually fading from use. The Good Friday bun originated with the small consecrated loaves which were once given in charity by the Church. Welsh peasants preserve at least one crossed bun for a whole year, arid it is declared that this practise is security against nil kinds of stomach troubles. Even damage to the house by fire is presented. In some pavts of Europe the belief still prevails that the sun actually dances on Easter morning. Children are awakened in time to witness the usual phenomenon of .sunlight stealing across the floor of their room. But on this occasion portions of a broken mirror are employed by their elders, and the sunlight, thereby reflected, is made to dart from wall to wall and frorii floor to ceiling. This is the "sun dance" supposed to have come from the practice of our pagan ancestors who wore in the habit of celebrating the return of the sun at spring time with dancing, and who caused the "dance" by reflecting sunlight from bits of shell or polished metal. While operating the shell, they also themselves danced vigorously, thus accompanying the sun in his merry antics. The word Easter is derived from "Eostre," the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring in whose honour a spring festival was observed early in April, and as the reader can easily see, several customs practised to-day have ■ taken their rise from ancient rites and ceremonies which are of purely pagan origin.