The Easter Monday Ball

There was a time that the Lenten period of repentance and austerity seemed to last forever. The cold, dark days of February and March were filled with penance and fasting. Holy Week featured lengthy solemn ceremonies with incense, candles and litanies. Easter Sunday was the culmination with church services, family gatherings and feasting. Then there was the Easter Monday Ball, which satisfied a pent-up desire to let loose. 

The April 8th, 1895 edition of the Pueblo Chieftain, advertises an Easter Monday Ball at the Mineral Palace, sponsored by the Germania Lodge, Knights of Honor, Silver Star Lodge, and Ladies of Honor. Schriebers Orchestra provided the music and "refreshments of all kinds could be had a regular prices." The cost of admission was 50¢ for Gents and 25¢ for Ladies. Street car service was available until 2:00 am. 

The April 10, 1914 edition of the Aspen Democrat-Times reported:
"The ladies of St Mary's Catholic Church have completed all the arrangements for their grand annual Easter Monday Ball to be given in Fraternal Hall next Monday, April 18th. The McHugh Orchestra will furnish the music, and this, kind reader, is your invitation to be present at one of the biggest social events of the season. Coffee and sandwiches, ice cream and cake will be served during the evening. Don't miss it! Tickets are $1.00 per couple and 50¢ for an individual."

Usually these celebrations were fund raisers organized to benefit churches, schools or hospitals. The Knights of Columbus, Knights of St. John, Ladies Sodality, or Altar and Rosary Society sold tickets, hired an orchestra, and provided substantial food for the occasion. There were other groups who sponsored Easter Monday dances and dinners, including the Pythian Sisters in Crested Butte, or the Ladies of the Maccabees in Ouray.

The Easter Monday Balls remained a staple until after World War II and gradually seemed to have faded in popularity.

Ads for Easter and Easter Monday finery

Easter Cards

I try to keep up - email, tweets, texts, Facebook, YouTube and two blogs - reporting, documenting and keeping in touch with folks. This constant chatter lies somewhere between feeling engaged and a chore.
But I have a collection of old postcards (an anachronism) addressed to family members in Globeville that I keep in a cigar box (another anachronism). These postcards include elaborate versions covered with glitter and embossing, to more simple cards with seasonal messages. All would require some effort to purchase, compose and mail.
These two Easter cards were from the Mautz family, long-time friends of my grandparents, who kept in touch while living in Salida, Pueblo, Leadville and Denver. Changes in jobs, locations and family situations can be gleaned from the messages, "Happy Easter to Andy and Ida," then to "Andy, Ida, Andy Jr and John." I enjoy the heartfelt messages, the craft of the printing and tenderness of the images. Will anyone want to save our Tweets and emails?

Pysanky

Because the Eastern Europeans and Russians who migrated to Globeville endured religious and cultural oppression in the "old country" they enjoyed continuing their cherished customs, such as ornately decorated Easter eggs. Called pysanky by Ukrainians, pisanki by the Polish and pisanica by Croatians, the blown eggs were decorated using a stylus to draw designs with melted beeswax. The patterns, symbols, and colors all varied by country and even by region, but many featured symbols of spring, Easter, faith, and the Resurrection. The winter months and six weeks of Lent provided ample time to decorate the eggs.
The process involved heating beeswax in a small bowl on a stove and scooping up the wax in the stylus as needed. The hot wax was applied to a clean surface of the egg, rotating the egg while drawing. The egg was then immersed in the first color. More designs were drawn in wax and the egg was dipped in another color. The process continued with added designs, always going from light to dark colors. After the last color was applied, the wax was removed by gently heating the egg and rubbing off the wax with a soft cloth.
These eggs were given to friends and relatives as a symbolic wish for a good life, and could be displayed all year, since they were hollow. Many of these eggs would appear in the baskets that were blessed on Holy Saturday. What remains is a rich tradition of making art from the simple egg and beeswax. 

Easter Blessing at St. Joseph's

Easter basket waiting for a blessing

Swieconka (sh-vee-en-soon-kah) is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions in which baskets containing a sampling of Easter foods are brought to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood (bukszpan), the typical Easter evergreen. Other items in basket may include sausage (Kielbasa), Easter rye bread, (symbolic of Jesus, the Bread of Life), cheese, horseradish and intricately decorated pasanky eggs.

The traditional blessing of food baskets will take place on Saturday, April 3rd at St. Joseph's Polish Church at:

• 10:00 am
• 12 noon
• 2:00 pm
• 5:00 pm

5 pm service followed by Mass in English: 8:00 pm in Polish.

St. Joseph's Polish Catholic church is located at 517 East 46th Avenue in Globeville.

http://www.swietyjozef.org/

Zvelichar

"Zvelichar nash je vstal od smrti...Sing joyfully o Christian, because today on Easter is the day of your joy." For many years, this Slovenian hymn was sung during the procession on Easter morning at Holy Rosary Church, a parish founded by Slovenians and Croatians in 1919. Leading the procession would be a strong man carrying the statue of the Risen Christ, followed by children singing Zvelichar and carrying palms.

Today's congregation consists of older Eastern European parishioners and younger Hispanic families. This year's traditions begin with:

• Mass of the Lord's Supper at 6:00 pm on Holy Thursday, April 1st
• Service of the Lord's Passion at 3:00 pm on Good Friday, April 2nd
• Easter Vigil at 7:00 pm Holy Saturday, April 3rd
• Easter Mass at 8:00 and 10:00 am, Sunday April 4th

For more information, call 303-297-1962 between 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday through Friday. Holy Rosary Church is located at I-70 and Washington at 4688 Pearl Street in the Globeville neighborhood.

Orthodox Easter Traditions

Helen Kohut Capron grew up across the alley from Holy Transfiguration Cathedral and had fond memories of traditions during Lent and Holy Week. Helen elaborated on Lenten practices. “For seven weeks, no meat and no dairy (butter, milk or eggs) were allowed, and there were a number of extra church services in each week culminating with Holy Week.

"On Good Friday, there were three services. One in the morning and one at three o’clock where people fixed the grave. Friday evening was a burial service, “Plashtanitza,” that featured a shroud with the figure of Jesus on it and flowers all around it.”

“There was a service on Saturday morning more like the resurrection, when all the purple fabric that covered everything during Lent was removed and the priest changed into white vestments. On Saturday night, they would do part of the service, and then everyone left the church with the priest and his servers, who circled the church three times. During that time, people inside the church took the grave away and put everything back in place. When the priest made his third circle, he came to the door and knocked and that was a symbol of the resurrection. Then the people went in to begin the Liturgy, the Easter Mass. So the Easter vigil service began at about 11:30 at night and continued until about 2 in the morning.”

“It was always the custom to bless the food people had prepared for Easter. And so people would bring their baskets of food to the church hall. It was always a big deal because, if you had fasted like you were supposed to during Lent, with no meat and no dairy, it was very special. Sausage, eggs, fruit, ham, butter cakes - everything you could think of was in those baskets. Our family had a big wire basket and it would take two men to carry it across the alley, it would be so full. The baskets would all be in the church hall and, right after church, the priest would bless them. Then people would go to their homes. Nowadays, people sometimes partake of the baskets right after the blessing and go home about 5 o’clock in the morning. On Easter morning itself, there was a short service right after the Liturgy about 11 or 11:30.”

For current Lenten and Easter services at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, visit http://www.transfigcathedral.org