[thePurpleGiant]

Okay, I rarely rant on here, but I need to get one off my chest. Arrgh!!

It's nearly Easter, and thus there are signs all over town saying things like "We will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday".

The day before Easter Sunday is not Easter Saturday!!! It is Holy Saturday, or even, Easter Eve, or the day before Easter Sunday, but it is not Easter Saturday. This phenomenon has now applied to Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, now being referred to in the media as "Easter Thursday".

Well this week I even hear the Wednesday before Easter being referred to as 'Easter Wednesday'. It is not!!! It is Holy Wednesday. Easter Wednesday is the Wednesday after Easter.

So it seems according to the media, the days around Easter go like this now:

April 7: Easter Wednesday
April 8: Easter Thursday
April 9: Good Friday <--correct
April 10: Easter Saturday
April 11: Easter Sunday <--correct
April 12: Easter Monday <--correct

Whereas in fact, they are really:

April 7: Holy Wednesday
April 8: Holy (or 'Maundy') Thursday
April 9: Good Friday
April 10: Holy Saturday
April 11: Easter Sunday
April 12: Easter Monday

The week before Easter is Holy Week, and thus each day is "Holy Somethingday". The week starting on Easter Day is the beginning of Easter, and thus each day after Easter Sunday is "Easter Somethingday".

This might seem trivial to everyone, but I really get annoyed when mainstream media gets things so wrong, and continues to infect society with naivety. Grrr.

PG rant, over.

[thePurpleGiant]

Oh and a Happy "Easter Friday" to everyone, as someone told me this morning.

[simonjames]

And who gave this Friday the adjective of 'good'?

In Danish the day is called long Friday to describe the long day of suffering Jesus had to endure. Nothing good about it.

The annoying part is I just tried to go food shopping (Friday at 2pm-ish) and all the shops are closed except for the rip-off shops. Even the booze shop was closed! damned religious holidays. At least the internet doesn't shut down

[Tulkas]

Whats up with easter anyway?

[Rev-O]

Originally posted by simonjames:
And who gave this Friday the adjective of 'good'?

In Danish the day is called long Friday to describe the long day of suffering Jesus had to endure. Nothing good about it.

The annoying part is I just tried to go food shopping (Friday at 2pm-ish) and all the shops are closed except for the rip-off shops. Even the booze shop was closed! damned religious holidays. At least the internet doesn't shut down

Uh... good for the people Jesus saved, but boy howdy, bad for ol' Jesus.

[Mr. Blur]

as far as i am concerned all that matters is that i get a 4-day weekend out of it.

[dillerX]

i made easter cookies.

[Zoom_zoom]

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
as far as i am concerned all that matters is that i get a 4-day weekend out of it.

Don't forget the chocolate eggs!

Happy good friday!

[OH-N'omac]

Originally posted by Tulkas:
Whats up with easter anyway?

It used to be a celebration of fertility and the renewal of the agricultural growth cycle that took place during the spring equinox. The easter bunny and eggs are leftovers from the Norse mythology. The symbols of the Norse goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility.

When the christians started to grow in numbers, they adapted many holidays, including easter, to their own mythology so that the pre-christians could still celebrate their old traditions. The theme of renewal is still around, it's just applied to the christ myth now.

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by simonjames:
At least the internet doesn't shut down

You didn't get the memo then.

[benb]

Originally posted by OH-N'omac:
it's just applied to the christ myth now.

oooh, taking cheap shots on the internet.

is it as good for self esteem as they say?

[Face Ache]

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
as far as i am concerned all that matters is that i get a 4-day weekend out of it.

Jesus died for your... vacation.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

I have to work. Meanwhile, my boss and my fiance's boss took the day off, leaving us behind at our respective houses of employment. They promised to call in for their messages.

As*hats.

[Superchicken]

We had a Maunday Thursday service yesterday in Chapel, my history of liturgy class actually put it on, foot washing service, before we started planning it I had never even heard of the thursday being reffered to as Maunday Thursday, that said I had always heard of Holy Saturday.

My room mate went into the city to buy Oatmeal today and then remembered it was Good Friday, and none of the stores were open... nicest guy ever... but not so bright.

[quandarry]

easter...goddess of fertility...hence the eggs

a great pagan holiday.

drink beer and fornicate your brains out.

easter was named after eostre (a.k.a. eastre). she was the Great Mother Goddess of the saxon people in northern europe.

[ThinkInsane]

I had to run a bunch errands this morning, and everything was open. I don't recall ever seeing stores close for Good Friday or Holy Saturday. Maybe little mom and pop places, but the majority around here don't close. And I live in a very Catholic area. Go figure.

[Judge_Fire]

Originally posted by benb:
oooh, taking cheap shots on the internet.

What am I missing here? The poster was describing a situation where a set of rituals had converged between two different religions.

J

[DeathToWindows]

not much closes - and I'm in Boston

[wolfen]

Most of my customers were MIA, but otherwise no impact.

He didn't die on a Friday, didn't rise on a Sunday. Breaking it down, it's more likely a Wednesday to Saturday kinda thing. Sure, yhey prolly discovered the open tomb on Sunday morning. But the dude was out partyin' all Saturday night. It's just that none of them were hip enough to hang with'im.