I\u2019ve often said that the world was getting too complicated for me\u2026. yesterday there was a fire in a building in Utah \u2014 that prevented my blog from being updated. We are not alone has never been more true, and apparently we can\u2019t even function being alone. Anyhow, here\u2019s what you would have read yesterday\u2026 if \u2014 there hadn\u2019t been a fire in Utah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One year in the early 70s, we were in Hong Kong over Easter. Almost the entire city was closed for most of the weeks preceding and following Easter. It was even hard to find a place to eat, outside of some hotels. I thought this was interesting, especially since the population isn\u2019t primarily \u201cChristian.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We refer to Easter Monday around here, but it isn\u2019t considered anything special \u2014 almost all stores are open\u2026 but people in more than eighty countries of the world celebrate the day after Easter as a holiday..<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little of my extensive research revealed that Easter Monday stands as the last remnant of a once much longer season of post-Easter festivities. In the early Middle Ages people treated the entire week following Easter as a holiday. People tended to their religious devotions in the week before Easter and celebrated with feasts, parties, games, relaxation, and attendance at religious services in the week after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the thirteenth century this two-week period had shortened and shifted to the latter half of Holy Week and the ten days following Easter. These last two days, the second Monday and Tuesday after Easter somehow acquired the mysterious name of Hocktide. In 1552 Parliament passed a law restricting post-Easter festivities to the Monday and Tuesday directly following Easter. This practice lasted until the 19th century, when lawmakers further reduced rejoicing to the Monday following Easter, known as Easter Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the US, there are only a few activities celebrated on Easter Monday \u2014 probably the most famous one is the White House Easter Egg Roll, held on Easter Monday. Claire took our kids there on some years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Easter Monday was formerly regarded as unlucky and was known as Black Monday (White Monday in Greece.) For some reason, Monday itself was generally considered unlucky\u2026 maybe because it meant returning to school for many school children after the Easter break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope everyone had a nice Easter and Easter Monday isn\u2019t unlucky for you\u2026 and be glad you\u2019re not in Hong Kong if you\u2019re hungry.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve often said that the world was getting too complicated for me\u2026. yesterday there was a fire in a building in Utah \u2014 that prevented my blog from being updated. We are not alone has never been more true, and … Continue reading