“The feast of Weeks,” my uncle continued, “was so called because it was kept at the end of seven weeks, or a week of weeks, after the Passover, that is, on the fiftieth day; and therefore it has been also called the feast of Pentecost, from a Greek word signifying fiftieth. It lasted seven days, and was held in remembrance of the law which was given to the people at Mount Sinai on the fiftieth day after their leaving Egypt. At this feast two loaves of bread and a certain quantity of meal, to represent the first-fruits of the ground, were offered as a solemn and grateful acknowledgment for the harvest which in that fine climate and fertile country had already commenced. The modern Jews keep this festival with great strictness; but they mix various traditional rites with the ceremonies. In this country, I understand that they decorate their houses with garlands of flowers, and strew roses in the synagogues; and in Germany each Jewish family has a high rough cake, to represent Mount Sinai, composed of seven layers of paste, to designate the seven heavens through which they pretend that Jehovah descended to declare the law to Moses. As the Passover was the type of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, so the feast of Weeks was the type of our Christian Pentecost, which took place fifty days after the resurrection, and on which the astonishing miracle was performed, of the gift of tongues to the Apostles.
“The feast of Tabernacles was established in the middle of the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year, or in the first month of the civil year, which began in September. All Israel were obliged to assemble in order to celebrate this feast, and to live in tents or booths made of green boughs, during its continuance. The same word in Hebrew signifies both tabernacles and tents, and this great religious festival was held in memory of the journey through the wilderness, and of the mode in which their forefathers had dwelt there in tents, during forty years. On the first day, the people, with branches of palm trees, willows, and myrtles in their right hands, and a citron bough bearing its fruit in the left, joined in procession round the altar, waving the branches and singing Hosannas. The six following days burnt offerings were made, and the latest fruits of the year were presented at the temple; on the eighth and last day the procession with branches was repeated with still greater solemnity, and the whole feast concluded with what was called the Hosanna Rabbah, or the great Hosanna. This word literally means ‘Save, I beseech thee;’ it was a common form of religious blessing or salutation; and thus to that ancient mode of solemnizing the feast of tabernacles you may trace the branches that were cut down, and the acclamations of ‘Hosanna to the son of David,’ with which our Saviour was received on his public entry into Jerusalem.”
May 1st.—This has been a day of amusement; and the Miss Maudes and their brother, who came here yesterday, have greatly added to our gaiety. Very early this morning we all went out, not exactly to gather May-dew, but to see the numbers of people that went out Maying. Several May-poles and garlands had been erected; but we were most interested by that which the little school children had dressed up opposite to their house. They had also placed an arch of flowers and hawthorn branches over the door; with a magnificent C in the middle of it, made of daisy flowers strung on thread.
This was in compliment to Caroline, and when she passed under it, they all joined in chorus, singing these lines of their own composition:—
We’ll welcome Miss Caroline with flowers so gay,
To the school where she teaches us goodness and truth;
Oh! may she be happy on ev’ry May-day,
And most graciously pardon the follies of youth.
My uncle says it has been always the custom to celebrate May-day in this county,—and that to have a pretty May-bush is still considered quite important.
In Huntingdonshire, Miss Maude told us that the children hang every place with garlands, and sometimes they make very pretty triumphal arches. To a horizontal hoop, two semi-hoops are fixed, so as to form a sort of crown, which is ornamented with flowers, ribbons, necklaces, spoons, and all kinds of finery. This is suspended across the road by a flowery rope, extending from house to house, while the children sing, dance, toss their balls over it, and ask money from the passengers: Miss Maude repeated to us their usual song.
The May-day Garland.
“To the lilac, laburnum, and iris, which cheer,
The hawthorn, the cowslip, and king-cob so gay,
Each beauty which gladdens the spring of the year,
And the kerchiefs and ribbons our friends have supplied
In bows and in streamers are tastefully tied,
And form our sweet garland, our garland of May.
“Beneath it we’ll dance, and we’ll throw up the ball,
And all shall be gladness, good humour, and play,
We’ll sing, and in chorus we’ll join one and all,
And glad as the season, we’ll lift up our voice,
And all, within measure and reason, rejoice
Beneath the gay garland, the garland of May.”