[sw-l] Thank you, Everyone! and Easter around the world...

[Trevor Jenkins]

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005, Valerie Sutton <sutton at signwriting.org> wrote:

> Here in the US in my experience, some families go to the park, and
> cities have Easter Egg hunts ... and there are some Easter parades in
> some cities, where people show off their Easter bonnets (hats) ...
>
> Do other countries have that at Easter?....

Depends whether one sees Easter as holidays or holy-days. Also depends how
"high" one is that is whether one is High Church with preparations for
this year's Easter begun back on 9th Feb (Ash Wednesday) and the start of
the Lenten Fast. Having had pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to use up all
the eggs in the house; not to eat eggs again until 40 days later --- okay
so that doesn't happen very much the Fast is usually taken to mean giving
up some favourite food for example, chocolate, or TV or cigarettes :-)
This is one reason for the Easter Egg symbolism on Easter Sunday.

Possible to be very busy this week. Last Sunday (Pam Sunday) would have
seen you parading around your parish with palm fronds as an act of
commemoration for Jesus' entry in Jerusalem. Various church services on
following days too. Maunday Thursday will see the monarch distributing
"Maunday Money" to a group of elderly people in one of the Anglican
Cathedrals. In the evening quite common for there to be all night prayer
vigil to commerate the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. Today many
parishes will organise a walk of witness as commemoration of the walk
along the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha.

Then Easter Sunday itself may start with an outdoor sunrise service to
commemorate Mary Magdalene meeting the Risen Christ in the Garden and
mistaking him for the gardener. ;-) Then during the day celebration
services. In past times people would turn out in the finest clothes. Eggs
(chocolate and real) are exchanged as a symbol of new life and sign that
the Lenten Fast is completed.

I'm now a Low Anglican so about the only parts of all that I am involved
in is eating the pancakes, participating in the prayer vigil, celebrating
on Easter Day and eating the chocolate eggs. Still a busy time because
this Easter Sunday happens to co-incide with our regular signed service so
I'm probably signing in church.

So lots of the activities that you describe are rooted in Christian
observance though not many people know it. According to a survey published
this week less than half the British population know what Easter is about;
personally I'm surprised it is that high.

Regards, Trevor

<>< Re: deemed!