Has arrived here in Australia. I have had my first 2 hot cross buns. I absolutely refuse to eat any before Good Friday although they have been on sale in the shops since the beginning of January.I am always bemused that Good Friday is not a public holiday in the USA. It is here and not only are all offices closed so are all large retail stores. Hotels are now allowed to open after 12 Noon. When I was young, there was a lot of fuss over opening the Royal Easter Show on Good Friday. I feel a little guilty that I must use the train to go to church. I would not go to a shop and so will have another Hot Cross Bun and coffee before leaving at 9.30. The service is from Noon to 3pm so I will probably not get home until 6pm and will fast for that time. For me Good Friday is the most sombre and holy of days and I could not imagine working.
In NSW and Queensland, shops are also closed on Easter Day. There was an attempt to open them here this year but unsuccessful. However I think this was more union rather than religious pressure. I do not see the need for shops to be open all the time. The only other days they are closed are Christmas and Boxing Days and the morning of ANZAC day. Small shops can still open so people can buy bread or milk if they run out.
2 comments:
Still when I grew up, my hometown Gothenburg was living in it's 17th century Calvinist past, to the point that Good Friday (called Long Friday here) was really Looong ;=)
Everything closed. Not a sound. Naurally no restaurants of movies...
And this was out of fear "someone" would object, the "neighbours" or whatever, that "someone" would think (and talk) ill of you.
Not the most Christian of considerations, perhaps - but crowd control...
Then I went to France, where all shops were open on Sunday - and my "très catolique" host family played cards on Good Friday!
They were quite particular about attending Mass, though - once having been to a late Saturday evening Baptism down town, there was a lively discussion, if this would count (as some Cardial had said) for Mass Sunday, or not...
On the whole, I found it refreshing.
Today I would say "incarnational"; an affirmation of Life in Creation, as it is.
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