Rant #2,384: Easter Parade

Well, there won't be any Easter parade this year, and if people want to wear funny hats in their own parade, they will have to supplement them with face masks.

Maybe funny face masks, but face masks nonetheless.

This is normally a nice time of year, as Passover for the Jews dovetails into Easter for the Christians and these two holidays are family oriented affairs to the hilt.

But this year is just so different than any other year, and each of these holidays will be much quieter in nature.

But the good thing is that they will still be celebrated with as much gusto as possible.

No coronavirus is going to put a damper on these celebrations. Sure, the holidays are a bit different this year, but there is nothing that is going to stop them.

Nothing.

In Rant #931 (March 29, 2013), I wrote about what Easter means to me, pretty much as an outsider looking in. Here is what I said in edited form:

"Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter.

As a Jew, these are among the holidays where I am an outsider looking in. 

I don't have recollections of these holidays, per se, because I never celebrated them.

I know they are wonderful holidays, days where people can reflect, look back, and look ahead.

   

I know that Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary, as described in the New Testament.

But as an outsider looking in, I have my own views of the holiday, just about all non-religious in nature.

I remember that at one time, nothing was open on Easter, and I mean nothing. No department stores, no movies, no restaurants, no nothing.

As you know, that has changed greatly in recent times. Many restaurants are open, and certainly the movies are open on Easter Sunday.

I remember painting Easter eggs as a child. I never knew the significance of this act, but I can remember that my sister and I made colorful Easter eggs using a product called Pas.

It was messy as all heck, and a lot of fun, as I recall.

I also never understood the significance of the Easter Bunny, but I guess that is almost equal to Santa Claus on Christmas.

I remember watching lots of TV on Easter Sunday, because nothing much else was doing.

I recall watching “Easter Parade,” “King of Kings,” and “The Ten Commandments,” sometimes back to back to back.

And I remember the actual Easter Parade in New York City, where so many people wore so many strange hats on their heads.

And I also remember that Easter Sunday was right near, or sometimes on, Passover, my holiday, and the significance of the two holidays being together is very strong.

The Last Supper, anybody?

I know that it is one of the few days during the calendar year that my wife has off. She has other days off from work, of course, but this one is a guaranteed day off, since she works for the country’s “friendliest bank.”

And I also know that to some, this is the holiest time and day of the year.

To them, and to everyone else celebrating these holidays, I wish you great holidays, time to reflect, time to recharge your batteries."

So this year, in the most ironic of ironies, we are going back to the old fashioned Easter Sunday, where nothing is open, but it is not our of religious respect, but out of duty. We have to fight this thing with whatever we have, and we have to be diligent about it.

The only thing that I can say about this situation is that maybe we are, in a strange way, being forced to go back to a societal value that we thought we left in the dust long ago. 

Maybe that will help us to not only reflect on our current situation, but also to reflect on what Easter--and Passover--really mean, and to form a new level of respect for these scared holidays.

To all those who celebrated Easter, have a wonderful Easter Sunday, and to everyone, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.