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Show FESlAUN EGYPT People Saw Pledge of Life Everlasting Ever-lasting in the Resurrection of Mythical Osiris. 4 In the resurrec- tion of Osiris tho OH ancient Egyptians saw a pledge of ' life everlasting fLjfW beyond the grave. frSi, The winter sol-flW sol-flW stice was the yvi'1T PerIod of mourn- "St'y fro 'ng anc lamenta-"J- vfjf tion for the divine -rv"l aSony of the slain fa""-Osiris, who in the 1 if religion of the V fSL l' Egyptians came J&Y to earth and re- J l'i claimed the peo- c A P'e lrom savage- 1 ry, giving them laws, teaching them the worship of the gods, giving his own body to feed his people, and dying that they might live. After the days of mourning came the ceremony of the ifinding of the body of Osiris and the resurrection of the god, the signal for the beginning of the spring festival of joy throughout the ancient land of the Nile. The resurrection of Osiris as symbolized in the sprouting grain was for the Egyptians an augury of man's immortality. It is ' from the rich mythology of our Teutonic ancestors that we derive the very name of Easter itself, for the spring festival of Eostre, the goddess of spring, was a period of rejoicing that made the dark forests of northern Europe ring with gladness. With the conversion of the Germanic races to Christianity much of the old ritual of the Eostre worship was retained in the Easter ceremonies and customs of the peasants, where it is found today. The Eastern customs of today had their beginnings so far back in the history of the world that it is impossible impos-sible to trace their origins. The egg and the rabbit are two spring symbols of reviving nature that are universal and appear to be as popular today as thousands of years ago in ancient India. In-dia. One of the legends is that the god Buddha finding the people starving, transformed himself into a hare that the people might be fed. All of the egg legends, of which there are a hundred hun-dred variants, express the idea of regeneration re-generation that comes with the beginning begin-ning of spring. Our own Indians had many spring customs and rituals similar in many respects to those of the ancients of Asia Minor and Egypt. The old Peruvians Peru-vians and the Aztecs had elaborate spring festivals preceded by fasting, penitence and sacrifice followed by a day or days of joy, and it is significant that in many parts , of Europe today Easter is known as the "Day of Joy." In the less civilized parts of Russia, in the Balkans and Asia Minor, and 1n Sicily the old pagan rites still survive. The heart of humanity for countless ages has throbbed and thrilled to the inspiration in-spiration of Easter. East-er. Now, as in the past, it voices the highest aspirations of mankind. Now, an in the dimming past,-men lift their hymns of joy to heaven In greeting to the surpassing mystery of the rebirth re-birth of the earth and in praise of the life-giving i risen God. L. |