Show REVELS MARKED MARIED EARLY EASTERS Relaxation Allowed After Rigors of Long Lent Many of the early customs of ot East East- Easter Easter Easter er time were of ot pre-Christian pre origin but were in some way symbolic of joy and therefore were kept up as late as athe the Seventeenth century In France and Germany handball was one of the Easter amusements I The ball was supposed to represent the sun which was believed to take three leaps In rising on Easter morn morn- mornIng morning ing lag Bishops priests and and monks aft att- atter after aft after er the strict discipline of Lent used to play ball during Easter week The ball game was also connected with a aI dance dance- and was performed in the church to the strains of ot the I PaschalL England also observed Easter with the game of ot ball and there the municipal corporation en- en engaged engaged en engaged with due parade and dignity We are told that at Bury nury St SL Edmonds In recent years this Easter sport was kept up by twelve old women After the game a banquet was held and Q a homily on the feast was read Odd Customs A peculiar custom was observed on Easter Monday when the women had hada hada a right to strike their husbands and andon andon andon on Tuesday the men were allowed to return the compliment We read ot of another peculiar custom In northern England On Easter Sunday the men paraded the streets and claimed the prIvilege of lifting each woman three times from the ground receiving in payment a kiss or sixpence The next day the women were allowed the same privilege In Germany the men were not so gentle for It U t was the custom ot of othe the men servants to whip the maid maidservants maidservants maidservants servants with switches on Easter and andon andon andon on Monday the maids were allowed to whip the men They could however secure their release with Easter eggs Easter Fire The Easter fire is perhaps more fa- fa familiar fa familiar to us because the Catholic church has hns adopted the observance Into Its Easter ceremonies The East Easter er fire In the earlier times was lit on the top of ot mountains and was kindled from a new fire drawn from wood by friction This custom was of pagan origin signifying the victory of ot sprIng over winter for In some places a fl fig figure ure are was thrown into the fire winter but to the Christians on the Rhine in Tyrol and Bohemia it 11 sIgnified Judas the traitor At Constantinople the Greeks gath- gath gathered gath gathered ered In the cemetery of ot Peru where a 8 festival ul was held A custom that still prevails among some of the foreign born of ot our own country is that of 01 blessing the homes und and also the food which was prohibited durin during Lent Though we think these customs are quaint perhaps peculiar we have one ot of our own when on Easter Monda Monday the children gather on the lawn o of the White House In Washington for the annual egg rolling Kansas contest contest I City Star |