happy easter all, and may your pagan-turned-Christian appropriated holiday be joyous, as nature itself arises from its long winter grave. ah yes. spring festivals. gotta love 'em.
the only other place (aside from where we currently live) where we have experienced a true and complete shut-down of commerce for Christian holidays such as easter was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Fredericksburg and St. Mary's County, Maryland. we were surprised the first year, of course. I can't remember what we needed to go out to buy, but the grocery stores, the BigK, the dollar stores--everything of commercial importance in St. Mary's County was shut on easter sunday. (we didn't yet have a Walmart at that time, I don't think. just the BigK. it had, however, changed its livery such that it was BigK and not KMart. so that's progress, I suppose.) on that dark easter of '99, KMart let the family down, particularly after the oft-repeated family story involving my grandfather, July 4th, the Omaha KMart and the phrase: 'open for your bicentennial shopping pleasure'.
it is the same here, as I discovered on Good Friday when attempting to purchase a thermometer and paracetamol for Sam. but, unlike our experience in southern Maryland or in Fredericksburg a year later, people take these holidays seriously here. they have big dinners and eat lamb and get dressed up. they debate the old questions: was someone really watching all night before they rolled the stone away from the cave opening? maybe they dozed off? if Jesus left the shroud behind wouldn't that mean he rose up to heaven in his 'birthday suit'? I'll let you know what other hot topics we discuss over easter supper this afternoon.
and remember, this is the land of the Druids. we're allowed to have a little good-ol' pagan fun-poking at the myths of others.
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