I probably just offended some people with the title of my post this week. After all, only a select portion of the world’s population is Christian, and even some orthodox religions celebrate Easter on a different day on the calendar. It’s not their Easter. To be fair, Easter is also ecumenical with the required bunny and other spring newborn animals, as well as tulips and hyacinths and candy which have nothing to do with holy miracles or affirmations of divinity.
A comic mentioned in his stand-up that we Americans tend to be non-confrontational about religion, so when the school-age folks get a week off this time of year, we call it “spring break,” just as the Christmas to New Year’s vacation is “winter break.” Whether you sit around playing video games all week, go to a recreational hotspot or catch up on movies in a theater (which I hear is big on Christmas and known jokingly as “Jewish People Go to the Movies Day”), it’s all good. As long as you don’t mention the “C” word or the “E” word, depending on the season.
It’s strange how Ramadan just ended, and that is, from what I hear, a much stricter period of faith-based deprivation, yet Lent is given second place among social awareness sources. The fasting rules are different, but the people practicing them seem to have equal faith that what they are doing is good, obedient, and uplifting to one’s soul. Why can’t we exchange “happy holiday” greetings with the names they were given?
I worked with a Muslim and was able to discover that wishing them a good Ramadan is okay coming from me (what being an infidel or something like that). I don’t take offense if somebody I know doesn’t celebrate Easter wishes me a happy Easter. It’s social connection. It’s good manners. It brings us together with something fleeting yet common to most humans: a special day. It’s special to at least one person in the world if they were merely born on that day. What’s the big deal?
Since we just learned (or we ignored) the fact that Reese’s candy has been called out by the founder’s family for changing the original formula to a more synthetic combo of fake sub-par chocolate and peanut butter, maybe we’re starting to turn the tide toward what used to be called REALITY. Hershey has promised to repair the damage within the year, so maybe by next Easter, our peanut butter cup spring treats will be better.
Meanwhile, since I’m being snarky, I would like to misquote a certain South Park character:
Hey there, all you non-Christians, happy ***bleeping*** Easter.
Have some potato salad and some fake chocolate bunny ears.
If you didn’t know it yet, Jesus rose today.
So, watch some four-hour epic films and ***bleeping*** celebrate!
Have a nice Sunday, whatever you do.
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