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Maundy, maundy: Of holidays and holydays
Mar. 28th, 2013 03:42 pmToday is Maundy Thursday. I had no idea what "maundy" meant so I decided to look it up. Apparently it has something to do with the ritual of washing the feet. Which sounds rather biblical. Or maybe just generally religious, since many faiths require their faithful to scrub up before entering a place of worship. But is Easter really a religious holiday?
Oh sure, I know (at least in broad brush-strokes) the Christian version of the story. Has to do with this bloke Jesus, who was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 0000, on the wrong side of the blanket. Of course, when the blanket's made of straw, it doesn't really have a top side and an underside; instead, it has layers and depths and textures that AIDS-stricken humanity can only fantasize about. Oh, wait - it was an immaculate conception, which might almost have been technically possible, if highly unlikely, had Jesus been Jessica. Anyway, one Good Friday some time during the first century A.D., this chap with clean feet all prepped for lashing was crucified for everyone else's sins and rose from the dead two days later. But unlike Christmas, which is celebrated on a consistent calendar date every year, Easter is always a weekend and can vary by several weeks depending on the vernal equinox, the tides and the phases of the moon. Sounds pretty pagan if you ask me. Not to mention matriarchal, which definitely appeals to my feminist sensibilities.
I guess it's normal that there's a certain coincidence of religious holidays with the change of the seasons. Autumn sort of goes with Thanksgiving, which many churches celebrate by decorating with cornucopias of seasonal vegetables; Christmas roughly coincides with yule, the winter solstice; then there's Easter, which is really part of the spring festival. Of course, I realize this analysis is northern hemisphere-centric! What about summer? I sort of picture witches dancing skyclad at Stonehenge during the summer solstice, but are there Christian or other major religious ceremonies associated with the onset of summer?
I want briefly too to comment on the trend towards the notation C.E. (Common Era) and B.C.E. (Before Common Era) after dates, replacing Anno Domini (A.D.) and Before Christ (is there a Latin equivalent?). One Ottawa museum recently reverted BACK to the AD/BC notation after having previously switched, its rationale being that people were "used to" the old notation and might get confused by the new. Rather odd reasoning, I think, since our museums think nothing of changing their entire name if they feel it better reflects a shifting mandate.
To me, it probably makes more sense to adopt the more modern terminology. After all, that's presumably what children are learning at school. And don't we want children to be excited about museums instead of thinking they're just something for us old fogies reminiscing about the good old days several centuries ago? Moreover, I can't see that it makes much difference one way or another from a religious standpoint. After all, we ALL use the same calendar, where years are marked from the reputed birth of Christ, regardless of whether or not we are Christians or adherents to any religion whatsoever!
Happy Easter, folks.
Oh sure, I know (at least in broad brush-strokes) the Christian version of the story. Has to do with this bloke Jesus, who was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 0000, on the wrong side of the blanket. Of course, when the blanket's made of straw, it doesn't really have a top side and an underside; instead, it has layers and depths and textures that AIDS-stricken humanity can only fantasize about. Oh, wait - it was an immaculate conception, which might almost have been technically possible, if highly unlikely, had Jesus been Jessica. Anyway, one Good Friday some time during the first century A.D., this chap with clean feet all prepped for lashing was crucified for everyone else's sins and rose from the dead two days later. But unlike Christmas, which is celebrated on a consistent calendar date every year, Easter is always a weekend and can vary by several weeks depending on the vernal equinox, the tides and the phases of the moon. Sounds pretty pagan if you ask me. Not to mention matriarchal, which definitely appeals to my feminist sensibilities.
I guess it's normal that there's a certain coincidence of religious holidays with the change of the seasons. Autumn sort of goes with Thanksgiving, which many churches celebrate by decorating with cornucopias of seasonal vegetables; Christmas roughly coincides with yule, the winter solstice; then there's Easter, which is really part of the spring festival. Of course, I realize this analysis is northern hemisphere-centric! What about summer? I sort of picture witches dancing skyclad at Stonehenge during the summer solstice, but are there Christian or other major religious ceremonies associated with the onset of summer?
I want briefly too to comment on the trend towards the notation C.E. (Common Era) and B.C.E. (Before Common Era) after dates, replacing Anno Domini (A.D.) and Before Christ (is there a Latin equivalent?). One Ottawa museum recently reverted BACK to the AD/BC notation after having previously switched, its rationale being that people were "used to" the old notation and might get confused by the new. Rather odd reasoning, I think, since our museums think nothing of changing their entire name if they feel it better reflects a shifting mandate.
To me, it probably makes more sense to adopt the more modern terminology. After all, that's presumably what children are learning at school. And don't we want children to be excited about museums instead of thinking they're just something for us old fogies reminiscing about the good old days several centuries ago? Moreover, I can't see that it makes much difference one way or another from a religious standpoint. After all, we ALL use the same calendar, where years are marked from the reputed birth of Christ, regardless of whether or not we are Christians or adherents to any religion whatsoever!
Happy Easter, folks.
