It’s a battle I think that’s been lost. Sorry.
I think most people, at least of the church-going variety, can get to Easter Monday being the day after Easter Day – so, April 17. And Easter Tuesday is April 18. But regularly I find, especially in the advertising world, that last week, Friday April 14 is called “Easter Friday”. Of course it is not. Easter Saturday is tomorrow April 22; today is Easter Friday, April 21. And Easter Week follows Easter Day, it does not precede it. Palm Sunday does not commence Easter Week, it begins Holy Week.
So if there has been an advertisement selling at discount during “Easter Week”, demand that the discount price applies from the week following Easter Day! But, as I say, I suspect this is a battle we’ve lost.
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Correct. Just as the Christmas season doesn’t start until Christmas Eve. Advent is the season preceding Christmas Eve.
Yes! But again, Bonnie, I think this is a battle we are losing (have lost?) Most Kiwis (and NZ shops) understand the 12 days of Christmas to be those before Christmas day 🙁 Easter Season Blessings!
And don’t forget that Bright Friday is getting confused (undermined) too. Now it’s some sort of alternative to November Black Friday sales. (Perhaps nothing like that has turned up in New Zealand?)
As with much American, Kevin, yes – NZ is picking up USA’s Black Friday tradition. Blessings.
I noticed in my diary this year that in South Australia 15 April was a public holiday officially called “the day after Good Friday”. Perhaps there was a government official somewhere doing their best to defend against “incorrect” nomenclature, even if they didn’t manage a win for Easter Eve or Holy Saturday.
I write “incorrect” because other states have gazetted the day as Easter Saturday. So who has the authority to name a day or to move it? In those states, surely 15 April is legally, officially, Easter Saturday – whether the churches like it or not. Is it out of the question to imagine a government setting the date of the Easter long weekend without reference to the Christian calendar?
It’s a fascinating thought, Chris: The secular government and the Christian Church disagreeing on when Easter is. Blessings.
Of course, most years (not this year) this is already the experience of Orthodox Christians in western countries. Quite apart from aligning or not with the western calendar, it would be interesting to hear their experience of the difference between Easter coinciding with the secular holiday, and it being quite separate.
Yes! Great thinking, Chris!
Off course as a catholic I will not be “offended”, loving the ignorant is just another thing we practice. I am beginning to warm up to the day when pagans quit using our holydays as an excuse to have fun and games though…
There is a post on pagans and Easter in the pipeline, Anthony 🙂 Easter Season Blessings.
Christians took alot of their celebrations to tie in with Pagan festivals to encourage/integrate them into church life.
Thanks, Nikki. There’s a lot of discussion around this – often Christmas is said to be of pagan origin; the truth may be more complex. I wouldn’t mind if that were the case, but, as we are talking about Easter, for example, that’s clearly taken from Passover. Easter Season Blessings.