KEY TO THE CALENDAR. 



Ireland. Monkish annals and popular tradition 

 attribute to him an immense number of miracles, 

 most of which have probably no basis in fact. 

 He died at Down in Ulster, according to the 

 Bollandists, in 460, according to Usher, in 493. 



As the Welsh are solicitous to display the leek 

 on St David's Day, so are the Irish to shew the 

 shamrock on that of St Patrick. The shamrock 

 is a bunch of trefoil. It is associated with St 

 Patrick and his day, in consequence, as popular 

 story goes, of the saint having made a very adroit 

 use of the plant in his first preaching, immediately 

 after landing. The people being staggered by the 

 doctrine of the Trinity, and disposed to shew some 

 violence to him, he took up a trefoil growing by 

 his side, and illustrated the point by shewing its 

 three blades growing on one stalk ; whereupon 

 they were immediately convinced, and became 

 converts. In Dublin, St Patrick's Day is, or was 

 lately, a scene of festivity and mirth unparalleled. 



* From the highest to the lowest,' says Mr Hone, 



* all seem inspired by the saint's beneficence. At 

 daybreak flags fly from the steeples, and the bells 

 ring out incessant peals till midnight. The rich 

 bestow their benevolence on the poor, and the 

 poor bestow their blessings on the rich, on each 

 other, and on the blessed St Patrick. The " green 

 immortal" shamrock is in every hat. Sports of 

 manly exercise exhibit the capabilities of the cele- 

 brated shilelah. Priestly care soothes querulous- 

 ness ; laughter drowns casualty ; lasses dance 

 with lads ; old women run about to share cups of 

 consolation with each other ; and by the union of 

 wit, humour, and frolic, this miraculous day is pro- 

 longed till after the dawn of next morning.' 



19. Maundy Thursday, called also Shere Thurs- 

 day, the day before Good Friday. Its name 

 of Shere Thursday appears to have arisen from 

 the practice which the priests had of shearing 

 their hair on this day, to make themselves as 

 trim as possible for Easter. The other name is 

 more doubtful, but seems most probably to have 

 been derived from Ang.-Sax. mand, later English 

 maund, a basket, in consequence of the distri- 

 bution of gifts on this day in baskets the word 

 maundy, used by old authors for alms or gifts, 

 being apparently derived in its turn from the 

 practice of this day. The religious customs of 

 the day consisted in works of humility, and in 

 conferring gifts on the poor. The object seems 

 to have been to commemorate, or imitate, the 

 humility of Christ in washing the feet of his 

 disciples the giving of maundies being an addi- 

 tional good work. The king of England was 

 accustomed on Maundy Thursday to have brought 

 before him as many poor men as he was years 

 old, whose feet he washed with his own hands, 

 after which His Majesty's maunds, consisting of 

 meat, clothes, and money, were distributed 

 amongst them. 



This strange ceremonial, in which the highest 

 was for a moment brought beneath the lowest, 

 was last performed in its full extent by James II. 

 King William left the washing to his almoner ; 

 and such was the arrangement for many years 

 afterwards. For a considerable number of years 

 the washing of the feet and other ceremonies have 

 been entirely given up ; and since the beginning 

 of the reign of Queen Victoria, an additional 

 sum of money has been given in lieu of pro- 

 visions. 



20. Good Friday. This day, as the presumed 

 anniversary of the Crucifixion, has for ages been 

 solemnly observed throughout Christian Europe, 

 the only exceptions being in Presbyterian countries, 

 such as Scotland. In Catholic times, the observ- 

 ances of the day in England were of the same 

 character with those which are still maintained in 

 many parts of the continent It is still a solemn 

 festival of the Church of England, and the only 

 one besides Christmas which is honoured by a 

 general suspension of business. Strictly observ- 

 ant Church-of-England people abstain from all 

 kind of animal food, even from cream to tea ; 

 such, we are informed by Boswell, was the custom 

 of Dr Johnson. The churches are in general 

 well attended, and it is considered proper to 

 appear there in black clothes. 



Amongst the usages of this day was a strange 

 ceremony of creeping to the cross, which even the 

 king was not exempt from performing. The king 

 also distributed rings at Westminster Abbey for 

 the cure of the cramp. The ceremonious burying 

 of a crucifix, as representing the burial of Christ, 

 is calculated to give less surprise. It was also 

 customary at great churches to have a small 

 building in the form of a tomb, in which the host 

 was this day deposited, by way of representing 

 the burial of Christ. In England, and perhaps 

 also in other countries, eggs and bacon were the 

 kinds of food appropriate to Good Friday. The 

 eggs laid on this day were thought to have the 

 power of extinguishing any fire into which they 

 might be thrown. In modern times, the only 

 species of viands connected with Good Friday in 

 Britain is the well-known hot cross bun a small 

 spiced cake, marked with the figure of a cross, 

 and sold not only in bakers' shops, but by per- 

 ons traversing the streets with baskets. 



In old times, Good Friday was distinguished in 

 London by a sermon preached at Paul's Cross (a 

 wooden pulpit placed on stone steps, and sur- 

 mounted by a cross, which stood, till the time of 

 the Civil War, in the open air, near the north-east 

 corner of St Paul's Cathedral). The sermon was 

 generally on the subject of Christ's passion. 

 Connected with it, two or three others were 

 preached on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 

 n Easter Week, at the Spital in Spitalfields, 

 where the Lord Mayor and all the most eminent 

 aersons in London generally attended. The 

 Spital sermons ' are still kept up, but take place 

 n St Bride's Church. 



21. Easter Eve. In Catholic times, it was 

 customary to put out all fires on this day, and 

 light them anew from flint. The priest blessed 

 the new fire, and a brand from it was thought to 

 be an effectual protection against thunder-strokes. 

 A large wax-taper, called the Paschal Taper, was 

 also blessed, and lighted beside the represen- 

 :ative sepulchre above mentioned, and there a 

 vigil was kept till morning. The taper used 

 on one of these occasions in Westminster Abbey 

 Church is said to have been 300 pounds in 

 weight. 



22. Easter-day, a solemn festival in celebration 

 of the Resurrection. The word used by us is 

 from Ostara, in Anglo-Saxon Eastre, the name 

 of a goddess once extensively worshipped by the 

 Teutonic nations, and personifying the light of 

 the rising sun, or the dawn ; it is allied to east. 

 Easter is observed with much ceremonial, not 



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