| Show all alwo 4 amm akee uDO EITH F yd 7 5 a K K Q Y km A A n goa 10 WA N W R I 1 R I 1 IVA q I 1 A rt 11 by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN ASTER day and all F fools day both fall aalf on april I 1 this year this Is bound to happen every bow and then because of the fact that all fools day always fulls falls on april 1 while easter bobs on the calendar anywhere between march 22 and april 25 at first the christian easter synchronized chroni zed exactly with the jewish passover this was rejected in the western church on the ground that the resurrection took place on tile the first day of the week after the passover and should therefore 6 be commemorated mem orated on sunday after much the particular sunday wits was definitely fixed in the sixth century to be the sunday between the fifteenth and twenty first days of the in the first month of the jewish lunar year the computation to be made according to the tables of Vict orlus of Aqui taine which were introduced in A D followed another century of controversy then the matter of the date of easter was finally disposed of at the synod held heldak at england in 1604 1664 after this date the clergy of the british isles cinfo conformed med to the general practice tice of tle western church so now both protestant and fiaman catholic churches observe easter on the first lundn sunday after anter the full moon on or next after march 21 thus easter cannot fall earlier than march 22 or later than april 25 easter seldom comes as early as march 22 in fact it was away pack back in lis 1518 more than a century ago bat that easter last fell on tills early date the nearest approach was march 23 in 1850 and 1018 between now and 1050 1000 its earliest date will be march 24 in 1040 1 thus easter aster may fall moil more than pian a whole month later some yeara e rj fihnn other years for example it fell on april 25 the latest possible date in 1880 it will fall on the same date in 1043 1943 it fell on april 24 in 1859 and on april 23 in 1005 1905 and 1910 easter and all ali fools day only oc cas caslo tonally nally fall on the same dote date they coincide in the century 1850 1050 but six bitnes asco 1877 1888 1023 1923 1031 1931 1043 well what of it what ant difference agocs it make wh whether asther eastern falls early or late falls on march 22 or april 25 As a matter of fact many of our american boll holidays days have a nationwide influence in many ways thinks giving and christmas for Ins instance tunce create so great a demand for turkeys that thousands of people in turkey states like texas and missouri and kansas bend all their energies to have their turkeys ready for the market at the psychological moment ali and when every everybody body wants turkey the general public eats ae less ss meat hence tile the butchers and market men have to keep keel a watchful eye open now a as everyone knows easter Is preceded by tile the lenten season of 40 doys days during lent the american people eat less meat than usual and more fish and oysters and more eggs so it makes a lot of difference to a lot of producers whether lent begins in february or in marcan Nl arell then theres the climax of the demand tor for eggs at E easter aster besides the demand for baby chicks Is so great at easter for advertising display and gift purposes that ninny ciany incubators the country over have to set their catchings hatch ings with easter day in mind in short it seems a truism that holidays whether of festivity or fasting patriotism or prayer are reflected in the busy warts marts of the country and one of the most far fae reaching in influence Is enster easter with its month long variation in dates easter aster Is the principal festival of the christian church commemorating ing the resurrection of jesus christ from tile the dead nevertheless easter has nn an origin far antedating the resu resurrection of christ one that goes back to the early days of man easters original significance was the celebration a at t or near the vernill vernal equinox of the beginning of a new year it celebrated tile the end of winter and the approach of spring the the coming of light and hent bent band and life at rome the sacred fire in the temple ale of the vestal vesta 1 virgins wits was kindled anew on march 1 wil which icil was tile beginning of the new nevy year A corresponding sp ceremony cerbino ny la Is still common in various parts of L europe bonfires are lighted from it a flame originated by tile the priests on faster easter eve these fires are kindled every year on the same hill which usually Is gi given I 1 re n the name of easter as ter mountain fountain T the sag significance ance Is this As As far its as the light the fields will of the bonfire reaches be fr fruitful and the houses safe from tire fire and disease As the flames die down men women and children leap through them as it a protection against disease i when Christi christianity anit v came to the holida holiday of front 41 11 adopted the pagan easter it explained that the extinction of tile the old year fires on easter eve symbolized the darkness of cal vary and of tho the grave the ligh lighting tink of the new ores fires symbolized the resurrection it seems Incon incongruous grUDUS at first thought that easter the principal festival of the christian church and all fools day a day of practical joata and horseplay should tall fall on he same day and on sunday at that on second thought however there la Is nothing incongruous about it excepting the fact that all F fools day fall on sunday and that Is the fault of our fearful and wonderful calendar both E easter aster and all fools day had their origin away back bach in the beginnings of the rare race in delight at the approach of spring it may be easily understood that the winter was a hard season for many 0 oi the prim primeval oval peoples and that the increasing warmth of the sun an and d the springing up of vegetable life meant literally a renew renewal pil of eife life so the vernal equinox celebration bration Cle of primeval peoples was largely expressed in actions of exuberant joy even after the of christian ity easter was celebrated with games songs dances and dramatic sh shows Vs in lioni the middle ages it was the cus custom at easter for the people tol to listen to arousing amusing tales from the pulpits of the churches special cakes were baked our modern equivalents are hot cross buns and fultes cakes painted eggs were presented to friends so there was originally little difference int in lie celebration of tile the two days in fact the modern celebration of all fools day Is probably a survival of tile the less serious features of easter day anyway all F fools da Is apparent ly just as old as easter the sea tell call the victim of an all fools day joke a or cuckoo the french name for him Is un dapril dAv ril rII AP april ril fish the romans celebrated the feast of fools on fernr nry ary 17 the hindus hindu have their hull festival on march 81 31 fio it Is likely that the popular celebration bration in tills this country ox of april fool day Is the survival of some pagan festival of tile the ancient world largely devoted to horse pay ajay and the playing of jokes in sheer exuberance of spirit because of the coming of spring the pictures show three phases of tile the celebration oi of april 1 IV lo 10 one shows a crowd of worshipers giltig into st thomas church on fifth avenue new york city another chowe a survival ol oil pi prehistoric days the egg rolling on the white house lawn lawil by children on easter monday the third suggests the of all fools day |
