Easter “Week-end”
The work week for some, ended on Wednesday this week. Because then, there was “Holy Thursday” or “Maundy (sp?) Thursday”, the day when they supposedly washed Jesus’ feet before he was to be crucified (just the skeptic in me ~ heck, I was raised Catholic, so I can make fun of the religion). After Thursday, it is, of course, “Good Friday”. (Can’t quite understand this terminology, but it has been explained to me that it is “good” because those who believe will be saved by the cruel and unnecessary death of this man). Then “Holy Saturday” (or does it have another name, like Thursday?). Then of course, Easter Sunday (I think because it wasn’t in the west???). But most importantly…..here in the VI those that “work” in a certain government, get “Easter Monday” off from work, too.
So that’s a 5 day week-end!! And what do people do with all that time off, you might ask. Many of the island folk go camping. That’s right. They pitch tents on the beaches, bring their generators and refrigerators and stereo systems and they camp. It’s just like having a floppy RV, I guess. They play loud music until the wee hours keeping the regular inhabitants of certain areas (who pay the most taxes) up all night. Well, I suppose those privileged few can afford to go to a quiet hotel for the 5 day week-end and stop complaining. But really, if Easter is such a “holy” time, what would be wrong with taking some quiet time to contemplate the sacrifice of their supposed savior, and to respect the rights of all to peaceful enjoyment of the gifts of the earth?
And here’s the funniest part of the week-end. On “Good” Friday, you are not allowed to purchase alcoholic beverages from restaurants or stores during the hours between 9am and 4 pm. Michael and I were out doing a bunch of massages at a villa overlooking Salt River (where we saw lots of campers). We would finish at 2pm and may have wanted to have lunch at Columbus Landing Restaurant (Well…. we didn’t really have time, since I had another appointment not much later in the afternoon). But if we’d had time, we would not have been able to have a glass of wine or a beer with lunch. Even a roadside store would not sell Michael an O’Douls (non-alcoholic beer) when I asked him to get one for me. So all the stores owned and operated by Muslims in this territory (and there are a BUNCH of them) are forced to suspend a certain amount of their business due to a law based upon a story in Christianity.
And that brings me to another HUGE pet-peeve of mine….”Separation of church and state”. If we have that, why are so many of our national holidays the same as Christian ones? Why not Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist “holy” days, too. Why doesn’t such a diverse nation observe a religious holiday each month for a different religion? Or just do away with the religious ones altogether?
Holy Week-end Batman! What a country!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Your commentaries and observations just crack me up. Stop making sense already! Enough with the logic and the reason!
Don’t expect that stuff to prevail!
I just caught an HBO special ( I was off island ) of George Carlin who only gets better not older. You could have paraphrased his outrageous-ness. He went on for an hour- lots of what you’re saying here.
I nodded like a bobble head at just about everything he said. Much of what you just wrote.
Maybe YOU’LL have an HBO special and we can ALL go off island to watch it!
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:36 am
I watched Moses last night on network TV. When I was a child I used to think that movie was a cinematic epic of gargantuan proportions.
It looked like a poorly produced high school play. The lines and acting were so corny.
We can’t buy liquor in a liquor store here on any Sunday or on an election day. You can buy beer, wine, and a drink at a bar at 1 PM when you are supposed to have done all your Sunday religion for the day.
There is the NFL except rule that beer can be served a noon at the stadium on game day. They must figure that if you are at the game then you are a lost cause for religion.
Easter Monday used to be a day off here but that was mostly a southern thing that started because it was the first day of college baseball. Most state and federal government along with banks and brokerage close here on Friday.
Only high order churches celebrate Maunday Thursday like Catholics, Presbyterians, etc. If you asked a good church going Baptist what Maunday Thursday was they would be clueless.
I always thought that ‘No Parking Except for Sunday” signs was a conflict of church and state.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 am
We love George, too. And what’s funny is, we each got the other copies of George’s books for Christmas this past year.
Yes, we celebrated another commercialized religious holiday ;)!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 am
THAT George, at least is the right religion to acknowledge!
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Before we do the bobble head nods on this “separation of church and state thing” the Freedom of Religion clause in the Bill of Rights was intended to allow anyone to worship as they wish. That does not hinder or change the fact that we have Christian-based customs, particularly on this island. They are part of our culture,and I bet half the folks out at Cramers did not attend any Sunday services of any religion.
saying that, until I came to St. Croix I never saw a synagogue, mosque and church all within blocks of each other….and a Jewish cemetery bordering a Christian one…talk about religious tolerance and diversity.
When I visit Muslim countries, they have different customs and they are based on their own traditions. Even progressive Muslim countries like the United Arab Emirates where Chritians are welcome to worship…formal Sunday Mass was held on Friday to coincide with the Muslim custom of their holy day. I suppose that is because Sunday is a work day for them ( different than our customs) which I thought was pretty intolerant of them until I thought, heck, it is probably the same back here…I bet Muslims can’t take off work on Friday at most places.
As crazy as Yassar Arafat was, he always made sure that he visited the scene of the Nativity in Bethlehem at Christmas in recognition of the custom of the 10% of Palestinians who are Christian. But the Palestinian Territory strictly follows Muslim tradition.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for reading, Larry.
I am obviously not an historian, but the fact that “separation of church and state” is included in the constitution, bill of rights, or wherever, says to me that nothing governmental should be associated with religion. But it is, and so blatantly with “Christianity”. To me, that is hypocrisy. “Separation of church and state, except for the Christian church, which will be the official church of the state” should be the way it ’s written. We go to court and swear on a bible. Come on. What if the testifier does not believe in the bible? It’s a farce! Ludicrous!
I can’t know whether or not the campers went to church over the week-end, and would hope never to be so judgmental as to assume one way or another.
One of my all time favorite things about our island is the closeness of our diversity. And the fact that to most people here, such differences in beliefs do not make another group or person “wrong”.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:40 am
“Yes, we celebrated another commercialized religious holiday ;)!”
Not to mention, Christian and state endorsed.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I’ve always gotten a kick out all the fertility symbols that are associated with the Christian Easter. It’s my understanding that the holiday’s name is derived from Oestara, a Pagan fertility festival. The goddess Oestara’s sacred animal was the hare, hence the Easter bunny. I believe she also lends her name to the female hormone estragen.