Easter

To me, Easter is a very important holiday, even though I do not fast for Lent or make a big show of it. Quietly, privately, deep within me, Easter is important. Thus I am always interested to note how much attention it merits in society in general. When I was a kid in California, we got Easter break off of school, and most things were closed Good Friday. But the last few years, Easter has been pushed to the background, kids get "Spring Break" off, which may or may not correspond to Easter week, and of course the commercial aspect is disheartening. Here in Iceland, everyone gets the Thursday and Friday before Easter and the Monday afterwards off of work, and that seems to me like an appropriate amount of public recognition of the importance of Easter. But on the other hand, no one I know is actually planning on going to church that day, whereas in the United States, going to church on Easter Sunday is extremely common even for non church goers. In that way, Easter does get a special dose of attention not afforded other holidays. I guess no where I have lived really gives Easter its due, but I am not moving to Rome or anything just because of that.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well, we're just not terribly religious. My father's fond of saying: Íslendingar eru blessunarlega heiðnir :D
April 11, 2009 at 2:26 PM
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