EASTER.
EVERYWHERE the children are playing with eggs; eggs colored in every
hue—mottled, striped, and gilded; real eggs and imitation ones; sugar,
glass, and wooden eggs; for this is Easter-tide, and not only in
America, but in many far-away countries, where the habits and customs
are very different from ours, does Easter bring to the children the
highly prized, gayly-colored eggs.
How nice it would be if we could take a peep into these foreign
countries, and discover what else Easter brings the little ones besides
the pretty eggs, and also how the people of such widely differing
nations keep this happy festival common to all.
If we could look into England now, we should find that the ceremonies
there begin on Palm Sunday (the last Sunday before Easter), and on that
day many people go a-palming, only they do not, of course, find palm,
but gather instead branches of willow, which they stick into their
hats and button-holes. On Good-Friday we might see, on almost every
breakfast-table, those hot spicy cakes with a cross stamped on the
face, known to many of us as well as to our English cousins, as “hot
cross buns.” We should feel very much at home looking into the churches
on Easter Sunday, for we should find them beautifully decorated with
flowers, and hear the Easter anthems chanted as we might in our own
country. I do not think we can see in America, though, the ceremony
which, on Easter Monday, is performed by the charity school-children
in England. Were we among the spectators who, with shouts and merry
laughter, crowd around to watch this performance, we should see the
children take their places, with their backs against the outside of
the church, and then join hands until a circle is formed around the
building, thus completing what is called “clipping the church.”
It would be great fun to see the Easter celebration in Russia, which
includes many peculiar customs, and where the children receive presents
as we do at Christmas, besides more eggs than any of us ever thought
of possessing; some of the eggs being beautifully made of glass or
porcelain, and filled with sugar-plums or small presents. How amusing
it would be to watch the people, following a custom always observed on
Easter Monday in this queer land, as they go about kissing relations,
friends, and acquaintances, wherever they happen to meet them.
If we were really in this great, cold, furry country, we might go with
the children to make their Easter visits, and, on entering a house,
hear the greeting, “Jesus Christ is risen,” and the answer, “Yes, he is
risen;” then after kissing the inmates and exchanging eggs with them,
go to visit elsewhere.
All this would seem very strange to American eyes; and it would be a
strange sight too, if we could look into the cities of Spain and see
the people in the streets shooting at stuffed figures of Judas Iscariot.
A passing glance at Ireland on Easter morning would show us the people
making haste to be out at sunrise to see the sun dance in a pool or
pail of clear water.
It would be worth while to give more than a passing glance into Germany
at this season, for in this country, where the children’s happiness is
so much thought of and so well provided for, Easter Monday is looked
upon as a grand holiday, and all the young people appear in their gala
costumes ready for any fun or frolic that may be going on. It is a
pretty sight when the little peasant-girls, in their quaint gowns and
odd little caps, dance on the green with the boys, whose costumes are
equally as picturesque; and it is also entertaining to watch them as
they play various games with their many-colored eggs.
In Germany, too, we should find that the children believe as sincerely
in the Easter hare as they do in Santa Claus in our country; and the
saying, that “the hares lay the Easter eggs,” is never doubted by the
little ones.
After visiting in imagination all these foreign countries to see their
Easter celebrations, it may prove interesting to turn our eyes toward
home, for, since our country is so large—as large almost as all Europe
put together—perhaps some of our little citizens who have never been in
Washington do not know how, in the capital of the United States, the
children hold high carnival on Easter Monday, nor how the grounds of
the White House and also of the Capitol are given up to them on this
day that they may frolic on the lawns and roll their eggs down the
hills. It would be as novel a sight to some of us as any found abroad,
to see several thousand children rolling and tossing their eggs, while
shells of every hue cover the grass in all directions.
The following newspaper item, cut from the _Evening Star_, Washington,
D. C., April 27, 1886, shows how these rights of the little Americans
are recognized and respected, and how unmolested they enjoy the
privileges of Easter Monday.
“THE EASTER EGG-ROLLING.
“CHILDREN SHAKE HANDS WITH THE PRESIDENT.
“The crowd in the White House grounds greatly increased
yesterday afternoon, so that the grounds were literally
packed with children. The crowd was the largest and
best appearing that has collected there in many years.
The President and Colonel Lamont watched the children
for some time from the library window.
At the President’s reception at half-past one o’clock
hundreds of children gave up their sport temporarily
and thronged the East Room to shake hands with the
President.”
=Easter Egg Games.=
In the game they play at Washington, on the hills sloping from the
White House, the child whose egg reaches the foot of the hill in an
unbroken condition takes the one worsted in the journey down. Another
game for two is played by knocking the eggs together; each child holds
an egg firmly in his hand so that only the small end is visible, and
then the two eggs are struck against each other until one is cracked,
when the victorious player adds it to his stock, or devours it on the
spot. I would not like to state the number of eggs eaten on these
occasions, but there is a boy (_not a girl_) who once consumed fourteen
and lived to tell the tale.
Sometimes the egg which breaks another is called “the cock of one,”
and when it has broken two it is “cock of two,” and so on. When an egg
which is cock of one or more is broken, the number of trophies won by
the victim is added to the score of the conquering egg and it becomes
“cock of three” or more. Here is a game which comes from Germany, and
although in that country it is played exclusively by boys, there is no
reason why the girls should not participate in it as well. Two baskets
are necessary for this game, one large and shallow filled with soft
shavings, the other shallow also, but smaller, and filled with eggs.
The plan of the game is that one player is to run a given distance,
while another safely throws the eggs from one basket to the other, she
who completes her task first being the winner. When the baskets are
prepared, and the distance the eggs are to be thrown decided upon, the
two contestants draw lots to determine who shall run and who shall
throw. This settled, the player who throws takes the basket of eggs,
and one after another quickly tosses them the length of the course and
into the basket of shavings, which is placed on the ground at the end
of the course opposite the thrower. In Germany this basket is held by
an assistant, but anyone occupying that position might receive some
severe blows from the hard eggs thrown by unpractised hands, and it
answers the purpose just as well to place the basket on the ground.
Meantime the other player runs the distance (decided beforehand) to an
appointed goal, marks it as a proof of having touched it, and should
she succeed in returning before all the eggs are thrown, the victory
and prize are her reward; otherwise they belong to the thrower.
The game finished, a prize is presented to the successful contestant.
Should any of the eggs pitched by the thrower fail to light in the
basket, they must be gathered up and thrown again before the runner
returns, as the eggs must all be in the basket before the thrower wins
the game.
“Bunching eggs” comes from Ireland, and is played in very much the same
manner as the game played with a slate and pencil, and known to all
children as “tit, tat, toe, three in a row.” A pan or large dish filled
with sand or sawdust is set upon a table, around which the children
stand, each supplied with eggs; the eggs of each player must be all of
one color, and unlike those of any other player. The object of the game
is for each player to so place her eggs, standing them upright in the
sand, or sawdust, as to bring five in a row touching each other.
In turn each player puts down an egg, sometimes filling out a row for
herself, at others cutting off the line of an opponent; and the one who
first succeeds in obtaining the desired row sings out—
“The raven, chough, and crow,
Say five in a row.”
Another pretty game from Ireland called “Touch” is played in the
following manner:
Six eggs of the different colors—green, red, black, blue, white, and
gold are placed in a row in the sand used for the other game. One of
the players is blindfolded and given a light wand or stick, with which
she must touch one of the eggs, while at the same time she recites
these lines:
Peggy, Patrick, Mike, and Meg,
See me touch my Easter egg;
Green, and red, and black, and blue,
Count for six, five, four, and two.
If I touch an egg of white,
A forfeit then will be your right;
If I touch an egg of gold,
It is mine to have and hold.
As is told in the rhyme, the eggs each have a different value. Green
counts six; red, five; black, four; and blue, two; and the gold egg is
worth more than all put together, for when a player touches that, she
wins the game and a forfeit of an egg from each of the other players.
The white egg is worth less than nothing, since it not only has no
value but whoever touches it with the wand must pay a forfeit.
Each player is in turn blindfolded and makes her trial, keeping account
of the value of the eggs she has touched. When the sum of twenty has
been reached by anyone the game is ended, without the aid of the gold
egg. The position of the eggs are changed after each trial, that the
person about to touch them may not know where it is best to place her
wand.
=Easter Egg Dolls.=
In some of the large confectionery stores in New York City may be found
at Easter-tide quaint little Easter offerings, looking at first sight
exactly like dolls’ heads surmounted by pretty little head-dresses. As
dolls are not peculiarly appropriate gifts for Easter, one naturally
examines them closer, to ascertain if there is anything about them
significant of the day, and in so doing quickly discovers that the
heads are not made of wax or china, as was at first supposed, but are
simply egg-shells from which the eggs have been blown, leaving the
shell perfect. Little faces are painted upon these shells, and the
cunning caps or bonnets are made of tissue-paper.
Now it is our purpose to teach the children who do not live in New York
and have never seen these pretty toys, and also those who, having seen,
cannot afford to purchase them, just how to make some of these little
men and women, and how to fashion a variety of head-dresses not to be
found in the stores.
To begin with, select several nice large eggs, those of a pinkish
yellow are preferable, being something of a flesh-tint. These eggs
should be blown, or the shells emptied of their contents; to blow them
make a small hole in each end of the shell, and, taking it gently
between the thumb and forefinger, put one hole to the lips; then blow,
not too hard, but steadily, until the egg has all run out of the other
end.
The face must be painted next, and to those who know nothing of drawing
this will seem no easy task, until by carefully observing the following
direction they will find that it is in the power of anyone to produce
as pretty a face as could be wished for.
[Illustration: =Patterns for Head-dresses.=]
Among picture-cards, or in almost any juvenile book, may be found many
pretty faces of a suitable size which can be transferred to the egg
in this way. Lay a piece of tracing-paper over the head selected, and
with a soft lead-pencil trace carefully all the lines indicating the
features; then place the paper on the shell so that the pencil-marks
are next to it, and with a hard pencil, or ivory knitting-needle, go
over the lines again, thus transferring the soft pencil-marks to the
shell. Touch up and strengthen the features with a fine paint-brush and
india-ink. Anyone understanding painting may color the face in natural
tints, but it looks very nicely done merely in outline.
[Illustration: =The Nun.=]
The simplest arrangement for holding the little head erect is a small
pasteboard box turned upside down, and having a hole cut in the bottom
just large enough to admit the small end of the shell; this will
support the head nicely, and also form the shoulders.
[Illustration: =The Old-fashioned Girl.=]
Make the hair of raw cotton blackened with ink, and fasten it on the
head with mucilage. When all of the foregoing directions have been
carried out it is time to attend to the head-dresses, and we will
begin with the quaint and old-fashioned poke-bonnet. Cut this bonnet
from ordinary brown wrapping-paper after the pattern shown in diagram;
sew together the ends of the “side of crown,” then sew the curved
side (which is cut in slits as shown in pattern, and folded back as
indicated by dotted line) to the smallest part of brim; fold in the
strips marked on the straight “side of crown” and fasten on the “top of
crown” with mucilage. The trimming for the bonnet consists of a fold
and bow of colored tissue paper.
[Illustration: =The Dude.=]
Make the man’s hat of shiny black paper by the pattern in diagram, and
fasten together in the same manner as the bonnet, rolling the sides of
the brim when finished. Black and white tissue-paper folded to fit the
head, as shown by the dotted lines in the pattern, forms the head-dress
of the nun.
By copying the head-dresses of different nations, an odd and curious
assembly of these Easter-egg dolls can be formed; but that must
be worked out at some future time, for we have yet to tell how to
construct some Easter toys that cannot be found in any store. The
=Humpty Dumpty=
who “sat on a wall,” and the “Humpty Dumpty” who “had a great fall,”
must have been like the one I am about to describe, made of an egg; for
it is pretty certain that if he should fall, “all the king’s horses and
all the king’s men couldn’t put” this “Humpty Dumpty together again”
any more than they could the other.
[Illustration: Diagram of Humpty Dumpty.]
The diagram shows the frame of this little fellow and how it is joined
together. A large egg should be chosen; and when the contents have been
blown from the shell, four holes must be pricked in it for the arms and
legs to pass through, as shown in the diagram. These limbs are made
of rather fine bonnet-wire, the piece used for the arms being about
eight inches long. The hand is made by bending up one end of the wire
as in diagram, and with softened beeswax covering the loop thus formed.
When one hand has been finished off in this way, the other end of the
wire, still straight, should be passed through one of the holes near
the small end of the shell and out through the one opposite, then bent
up into a hand and arm in the same manner as described.
[Illustration: =Humpty Dumpty.=]
The wire for the legs and feet must be ten inches long. The diagram
shows how it is bent to form the feet. On this frame, wax can easily be
modelled to look like a foot; a coating of red paint will add to the
appearance, as red boots look well with the costume to be worn. The
wire for the legs should be bent in a curve in the middle (see diagram)
before it is passed through the shell. Again, as with the hands, one
foot must be finished and the legs fastened on before the other foot
can be made.
The figure of Humpty Dumpty being thus prepared, his face must be
painted; water-colors are the best for this purpose. The jollier the
expression of his face, the funnier the little man will look.
Patterns for trousers, jacket, and hat are shown in the diagrams. The
trousers should be cut from white cotton cloth two and a half inches
long and six inches wide. A slit an inch and a half long, cut in the
middle, separates the legs of the trousers, which must, of course,
be sewed up. Dotted lines at top and bottom show where a gathering
thread should be run, the bottom gathers forming ruffles around the
ankles. White should also be used for the jacket, cutting it three and
a half inches long and five inches wide. The shape of the jacket may
be seen in the diagram, dotted lines showing where the sleeves are to
be gathered around the wrist. Collar and pockets of red—the patterns
of which are given—finish the little garment. A white hat four inches
around the brim and two inches high is decorated with a band of red,
which should be sewed on the edge and turned up.
When dressing Humpty Dumpty, fasten his garments on to his body here
and there with glue, which will hold them securely in place. The hat
also should be glued to his head, as it is difficult otherwise to keep
it on.
=Miss Rolly-poly.=
[Illustration: =Miss Rolly-poly.=]
Little Miss Rolly-poly, who decidedly refuses to lie down, always
regaining an upright posture, no matter in what position she is placed,
is made in the following manner: After the contents have been blown
from the shell, the hole of the small end is enlarged gradually until
it is about a half-inch in diameter; the shell is then placed in an
upright position (a box with a hole cut in it just large enough to hold
the egg firmly makes a good stand) and melted sealing-wax is poured in;
on top of this melted lead is poured, all the while care being taken to
keep
the shell perfectly steady, that the weight may fall exactly in
the centre and make a perfect balance. A small quantity of lead is
sufficient for the purpose, as the shell is so very light.
[Illustration: =Diagram of Miss Rolly-poly.=]
Miss Rolly-poly requires no limbs; when her babyish face is painted
she is ready for her costume. The dress is simply made of a strip of
colored cloth, and is two inches long and seven inches wide. The white
apron is fastened to the dress as shown in the diagram. Sleeves are
made of pieces of the dress, material about one inch long and one and a
half inch wide. They are rolled up and fastened with needle and thread,
then sewed on to the dress in the position shown in the diagram.
Pockets are made for the apron, and the ends of the sleeves tucked in
them, which makes it appear as though the hands were hidden in the
pockets. The cap, made of the same material, or of a color harmonizing
with the dress, is four inches round the brim and one inch high; it is
sewed together at the two ends, and gathered into a pompon on top, as
is shown by the dotted lines in the diagram. A little glue should also
be used to fasten this dolly’s dress and cap on.
=Mandolin.=
[Illustration]
A pretty little toy mandolin is made of the lengthwise half of an
egg-shell. To separate the shell in this way it is necessary to pierce
holes with a needle along the line where the division is to be made,
which will cause it to break evenly; or the egg may be boiled hard
and then cut in half with a very sharp knife. Fig. 6 is cut from
stiff paper, and the strings drawn with pen and ink; then the shell
is fastened to it on the opposite side by pasting a narrow strip of
white tissue paper over the edges of the shell and frame, joining them
together. The top of the handle is bent down a little and a narrow
ribbon tied to it. To make the mandolin still more complete, paint the
handle mahogany color, with a fine needle stitch on strings of yellow
silk, and paint the egg-shell into pumpkin-like divisions of yellow and
mahogany.
[Illustration: =The Mandolin.=]
=The Owl.=
[Illustration: Wing.]
[Illustration: Diagram of Owl.]
To turn a hen’s egg into an owl has not before, I imagine, been thought
possible; yet it is easy enough, and requires but a very short time to
accomplish the transformation, when one knows just how to go to work.
No incubator is needed to hatch this bird, as only the shell is used,
the contents having been disposed of in the manner before described. We
commence the formation of the little owl by making two holes near the
large end of the shell in the position shown in diagram.
[Illustration: Owl Complete.]
By looking at the next diagram the manner of making the feet and legs
may be seen. A short piece of wire is bent in the shape given, and is
wrapped on to a longer wire with strong thread, thus forming three
toes, which are quite enough for a bird that will never walk. One foot
made, the wire is passed through the shell, having first been bent
into a curve, as in the description of Humpty Dumpty. When the last
foot has been fastened on, the wire should be pushed back into the
shell, allowing but little of the legs to show. The wings are cut by
the pattern given, and are painted to resemble feathers as much as
possible. Brown is the best color to use. By the diagram may be seen
how the head and body are painted.
=Maple-wax Easter Eggs.=
Empty the egg-shell of its contents and open a place at the small end
the size of a silver dime. Stand it in an upright position with the
largest opening on top, and leave it while you prepare the maple-wax,
or candy. Mix enough water with some maple sugar to dissolve it, and
set on the fire to cook; when it will harden in cold water it is done.
Carefully fill the egg-shell with the hot maple-wax, and keeping it
in an upright position, set it on the ice to cool. When the wax is
perfectly cold and hard, paste an artificial daisy over the opening in
the shell. Maple-wax is the nicest kind of candy, and done up in this
way will remain firm and hard for a long while; and therefore these
maple-wax eggs make excellent Easter gifts to send away to one’s friend
at a distance. The best way to pack them is to wrap them in cotton and
then put them in a tin baking-powder box, filling up the interstices
with cotton to keep them from knocking about.
The box, of course, must be wrapped in paper and tied securely with a
string. Packed like this, they may travel safely all over the United
States. The writer sent several the distance of over seven hundred
miles, and they arrived at their destination in as perfect condition as
when they left her hands.
=Bonbon Box.=
Select a box two or three inches high—a round one is best—which has a
lid that covers the entire box. Cut some straw or hay in pieces long
enough to reach from the top to the edge, and glue it on the sides of
the lid, covering them completely. Prepare as many halves of egg-shells
as will cover the top, allowing a space one inch wide around the edge.
Glue the shells down, and fill up the spaces between with straw. Near
the edge, on the opposite sides, glue a loop of narrow white ribbon;
these loops are to lift it with. Then glue straw on all the uncovered
parts of the lid, making it a little thicker and higher at the edges.
When the box is finished it resembles a nest of eggs, and makes an
appropriate and acceptable Easter gift.
=Easter Cards.=
It is a very pretty custom, that of sending Easter cards, altogether
too pretty to be allowed to lapse into disuse, as many customs which
are merely the expression of sentiment are apt to do in this busy,
practical country of ours. One experiences a great deal of pleasure
in selecting from the stock of beautiful cards found in the stores
just before Easter those that seem suitable for one’s friends, but
more pleasure will be derived from home-made Easter cards, both to the
sender and recipient; for it is true that into everything we make we
put a part of ourselves, and into many a home-made article is woven
loving thoughts which make the gift priceless, although the materials
of which it is composed may have cost little or nothing.
[Illustration]
Several years ago the writer was visiting a friend in the country
twenty miles from the nearest town where Easter cards could be
purchased, but when Easter approached we sent off our cards, just the
same, and I am sure our friends were as pleased with them, and more
pleased, than if they had been of the most expensive kind. This is how
we made them:
[Illustration: Pattern for the Chicken.]
It was an early spring, and the woods were filled with wild-flowers,
anemones and violets mostly; these we gathered, and arranging them in
small bunches, stuck the stems through little slits cut in cards or
pieces of heavy paper, as they are sometimes fastened in books when
pressed. Underneath the bouquet we wrote the name of the person for
whom it was intended, with some friendly message appropriate to the
season, and signed our own names; then we carefully folded each in
writing paper, taking pains not to crumple the flowers, and enclosing
them in envelopes, sent them to their destination through the mail.
Any kind of flowers can be used for these Easter cards, and instead
of putting the stems through slits in the card, they may be tied to
them with narrow ribbon. A card to be sent only a short distance should
be put in a box just deep enough to leave room for the flowers, and
fastened in some way to keep it from moving about; in this way it will
reach its destination sweet and fresh.
To those who can paint their Easter cards we have no suggestions to
offer, for they have an unlimited supply of designs at their command,
and with their power of decoration, may turn almost anything into an
Easter card, from a piece of satin ribbon, upon which they sketchily
paint a spray of flowers, to an elaborate picture. A few suggestions
are here given which our younger readers may like to carry out, as the
cards we describe are easily made, and adapted to amuse the children.
“Stepping through the White House” the first card is called, and it
represents a little chicken breaking through its shell. The pattern of
the chicken is given in the diagrams. Fig. 7, the head and neck, is cut
from yellow flannel; Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the main part and fragments of
shell, are of white paper, and Fig. 11, the feet, of black paper. These
are pasted to a tinted card, as shown in illustration. The eye and bill
are made black with ink or paint.
=Little Quakeress.=
[Illustration: The Little Quakeress.]
Half an egg-shell, with the face and hair painted on it, forms the
head. The cap is made of white tissue paper cut in four strips; one,
for the crown, is six and a half inches long, and a little over one
and a half wide; another, for the brim, is four and a half inches long
and one inch wide; while the strings are each three and a half inches
long, and one and a half wide. The crown is plaited in the centre, the
brim folded lengthwise through the middle, and sewed to the crown. The
strings are fastened on either side of the cap, and crossed in front;
then the cap is pasted on the head, the surplus paper folded back, and
the whole glued on a card. The ends of the strings are also fastened to
the card, forming a Quaker kerchief.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Lawn-Tennis with Our Own Net.]