2) On Easter Eve and Whitsunday Eve, in Tudor times, and long
before, the baptismal font of a church was “hallowed” or blessed.
3) In early Tudor times, the Thursday before Easter was
called “Shyre Thursday” and “oure, Lord soppore day”. Shyre did not refer to “shire”
but rather “shear” as it was the traditional day that all men had their hair
and beard trimmed.
4) In some places, in Tudor England, Good Friday was called “God’s
Friday” and Easter Sunday “God’s Sunday”.
5) April 27th 1546, ' being Tuesday in Easter week, William Foxley, pot-maker for the Mint in the Tower of London, fell asleep, and so continued sleeping, and could not be wakened with pinching, cramping, or otherwise burning whatsoever, till the first day of term, which was fourteen days and fifteen nights. The cause of his thus sleeping could not be known, although the same were diligently searched after by the king's physicians and other learned men: yea, and the king himself examined the said William Foxley, who was in all points found at his waking to be as if he had slept but one night; and he lived more than forty years after in the Tower.'—Stow.
6) At least in Gloucestershire, Balaam’s Ass Sunday was the name given to the second Sunday after Easter, when the story of Balaam was read in the lesson for the day. The name is suspected to go back to the days of the Miracle Plays.
7) Black Monday In English history this title is given specifically
to Easter Monday, the 14th of April, 1360, on which day Edward III. “ with his hoast
lay before the Citty of Paris, which day was full darke of mist and haile and
so bitter cold that many men dyed on their horses with cold; wherefore unto
this day it hath beene called- the Blacks Munday.”
8) Launcelot. And they have conspired together. I
will not say you shall see a masque, but if you do then it was not for nothing
that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Monday last at six o'clock i' th' morning
falling out that year on Ash Wednesday was four year in th' afternoon.
The Merchant of Venice, II.v.
9) On the tradition of the Easter King, Walsh provides the following: ‘There is in confirmation the old story of Charles V., who while riding through a village in his Spanish kingdom was met by a peasant attired in the fantastic robes of the Paschal monarch, with a tin crown upon his head and a spit for a truncheon. Not knowing who the rider was, the peasant commanded him to doff his hat. “My good friend," responded the Emperor, as he complied with the request, “I wish you joy in your new office: you will find it a troublesome one, I can assure you."’
10) In some places on Easter Eve, in others on Easter Day,
the fire was put out in all homes and halls, the charred wood and ash removed, and
the hearth swept. The hearth was then “gayly arayed with fayre flowres, and
strewed with grene rysshes all aboute."
Sources: Stowe’s Annals; Walsh, William S. Curiosities
and Popular Customs; Hallen, Cornleius. Notes & Queries, June 2,
1888; Chambers’ Book of Days.
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