CHAPTER IV.
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—
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.