ORIGIN OF THE EASTER EGG. 



ELANORA KINSLEY MARBLE. 



NOW is the time of year when we 

 Jeel called upon to inform our 

 readers that the peacock does 

 not lay the pretty colored 

 Easter eggs. 



This valuable bit of information the 

 great American humorist feels called 

 upon to make year after year, and 

 though we elder folk smile, and the 

 young query, how many of us are 

 familiar with the history of the custom 

 of observing the closing of Lent with 

 the egg feast? 



One must go back to the Persians 

 for the first observance of the egg day. 

 According to one of the ancient cos 

 mogonies, all things were produced 

 from an egg, hence called the mundane 

 egg. This cosmogony was received in 

 Persia, and on this account there ob 

 tained, among the people of that coun 

 try, a custom of presenting each other 

 with an egg, the symbol of a new be 

 ginning of time on every New Year's 

 day; that is, on the day when the sun 

 enters Aries, the Persians reckoning 

 the beginning of the new year from 

 that day, which occurred in March. 

 The doctrine of the mundane egg was 

 not confined to the limits of Persia, 

 but was spread, together with the 

 practice of presenting New Year's 

 eggs, through various other countries. 

 But the New Year was not kept on the 

 day when the sun enters Aries, or at 

 least it ceased, in process of time, to be 

 so kept. In Persia itself the intro 

 duction of the Mohammedan fa th 

 brought with it the removal of New 

 Year's day. 



Among the Jews the season of the 

 ancient New Year became that of the 

 Passover, and among the Christians 

 the season of the Passover has become 

 that of Easter. Among all these 

 changes the custom of giving an egg 

 at the sun's entrance into Aries still 

 prevails. The egg has also continued 

 to be held as a symbol, and the sole 

 alteration is the prototype. At first it 

 was said to be the beginning of time 

 and now it is called the symbol of the 



resurrection. One sees, therefore, 

 what was the real origin of the Easter 

 egg of the Greek and Roman churches. 



From a book entitled "An Extract 

 from the Ritual of Pope Paul V.," 

 made for Great Britain, it appears that 

 the paschal egg is held by the Roman 

 church to be an emblem of the resur 

 rection, and that it is made holy by a 

 special blessing of a priest. 



In Russia Easter day is set apart for 

 paying visits. The men go to each 

 other's house in the morning and in 

 troduce themselves by saying " Christ 

 is arisen." The answer is "Yes, he is 

 risen! " Then they embrace, exchange 

 eggs, and sad to relate, drink a great 

 deal of brandy. 



An account of far older date says, 

 " Every year against Easter day, the 

 Russians color or dye red with Brazil 

 wood a great number of eggs, of which 

 every man and woman giveth one unto 

 the priest of the parish upon Easter 

 day in the morning. And, moreover, 

 the common people carry in their 

 hands one of these red eggs, not only 

 upon Easter day but also three or four 

 days after. And gentlewomen and 

 gentlemen have eggs gilded, which 

 they carry in like manner. They use 

 the eggs, as they say, for a great love 

 and in token of the resurrection 

 whereof they rejoice. For when two 

 friends meet during the Easter holi 

 days, they come and take one another 

 by the hand; the one of them saith, 

 'The Lord, our Christ, is risen!' The 

 other answereth, ' It is so of a truth!' 

 Then they kiss and exchange their 

 eggs, both men and women continuing 

 in kissing four days together." 



There is an old English proverb on 

 the subject of Easter eggs, namely: 

 "I'll warrant you an egg for Easter." 

 In some parts of England, notably in 

 the north, the eggs are colored by 

 means of dyeing drugs, in which the 

 eggs are boiled. These eggs are called 

 "paste" eggs, also "pace" and "pasche," 

 all derived from "pascha" Easter. 



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