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Original poster

AIBU to think that Easter is very English?

201 replies

SodaStreamy · 29/03/2013 11:15

It is though isn't it?

England shuts down for 4 days .....Scotland doesn't

Why change the tv schedule .....I wanted to watch this monring but it's off 'for Easter'

I went to England 8 year ago on Easter Sunday and it was shut! England was shut not a single shop open

OP posts:
gordyslovesheep · 29/03/2013 14:21

all the English shops are also open ...

HoneyStepMummy · 29/03/2013 14:22

Americans don't celebrate Easter??? Not at all true. The largest groups of immigrants in the US came from Germany, Ireland, and Italy. Easter is just as much of a big deal here as when I still lived in the UK. I'm off work today (Good Friday) and we're having fish tonight.
Sunday the shops, gym etc are closing very early.

flyingspaghettimonster · 29/03/2013 14:23

I am in the US. Easter is not such a big deal as kids only get Friday and Monday off. Some places are closed on Sunday. Easter egg hunts are huge though and you have to buy piles of plastic eggs full of candy to hide. Easter gift baskets are common for the kids too because poor deprived American kids need gifts at every holiday. A ham is common for Easter Sunday meal (but we will have to have a polish feast instead :/)

WilsonFrickett · 29/03/2013 14:29

Scottish schools are always off on Easter. I'm Scottish, I went to school here, schools are always off. A couple of years ago they were off for a fortnight, back for four days, then off for Good Friday/Easter Monday the next week.

OP: have you heard of the term 'a moveable feast?' - it refers to Easter. It is a feast day that moves because it's linked to the equinox (I think...)

ithaka · 29/03/2013 14:29

I can assure you some state schools are open in Scotland. My friends lives in Angus & all the schools are open today and the children are in.

thegreylady · 29/03/2013 14:34

sodastreamy "Is Easter Catholic?" errrrrr....Easter is just the most important Christian festival.

KitCat26 · 29/03/2013 14:38

England doesn't really shut down for four days though. Big shops are all open today, most with reduced hours though. Only on Easter sunday are most places shut.

I didn't used to like the Easter holidays much as a child because we seem to spend most of it in church Blush (am a Catholic).

Maundy Thursday evening service, walk of witness on Good Friday morning, fasting for that day (no meat-eat less that sort of thing), Good Friday service at 3pm, then the Easter vigil service late saturday night. Oh and Easter sunday at mum's with a huge curry and all the family. Lovely.

Now I quite enjoy it and it doesn't seem like Easter unless I've been to church lots.

Talkinpeace · 29/03/2013 14:39

ithaka
but they ARE closed for Easter Monday
www.angus.gov.uk/services/view_service_detail.cfm?serviceid=1115
and I am very surprised at them being open on Good Friday - but they are next year as well. Maybe somebody does not understand Easter there...

thegreylady · 29/03/2013 14:39

Easter is a moveable feast-no one knows the exact historical dates,it is not an anniversary it is a celebration of the very centre of Christianity.
The key day is Easter Sunday so I can just about see some schools in Scotland opening today but I bet they aren't open on Monday.

Subjecttosurvey · 29/03/2013 14:40

Poocatcher, how can you not celebrate Easter as a Christian??? Genuine question!

Als wrt to eating fish on Good Friday (and all Fridays), I thought that the "rule" for Catholics was to not eat red meat, as opposed to "must eat fish"....but I could be wrong. But I don't think so tbh.

Talkinpeace · 29/03/2013 14:42

thegreylady
no one knows the exact historical dates
NOT the reason.

The last supper was a Passover supper.
Passover is set by the full moon and the spring equinox - so Easter moves too.
If Jesus had existed, they would have known what year it was and thus been able to work out the actual date he was Crucified.
But he didn't so the festival piggybacks the existing ones.

The date of Christmas was set to coincided with the Winter Equinox festivals after all.

mummytime · 29/03/2013 14:42

Easter moves as it is linked to the Passover, the date of the Passover is linked to the lunar not solar year. The earliest splits in the Church (Catholic v Orthodox) were over exactly how to calculate the date of Easter. Some years Passover, and the Western (Catholic) and Orthodox Easter co incide. This year Passover and Western Easter co incide, Orthodox is may 5th.

Subjecttosurvey · 29/03/2013 14:45

Talkinpeace... " if Jesus existed....but he didn't so"... Bit inflammatory and disrespectful when there are clearly a lot of Christians on this thread.

AgentProvocateur · 29/03/2013 14:47

I'm in Scotland, and neither DH nor I get today or Monday as a holiday. DC are off school, but the library and post offices etc are open.

Happy Easter everyone.

IThinkOfHappyWhenIThinkOfYou · 29/03/2013 14:48

I thought that the "rule" for Catholics was to not eat red meat, as opposed to "must eat fish"....but I could be wrong. But I don't think so tbh.

You're right.

I was going to make a special fish thing but was shouted down.

"We have fish every friday, why can't we have something else?"

We've had heinz tomato soup.

Dcs school make a bigger deal of Easter than Christmas, they've barely been off their knees all week. I don't think that is reflected in society at all. I was in Sicily one year at Easter, I could hardly believe my eyes.

Casperthefriendlyspook · 29/03/2013 14:50

Also in Scotland. I work in a university and am working today and Monday. I don't know any shops etc which are closed over Easter here. The only friends who are off today/Mon are those who work for local authorities or govt. Monday is not a public holiday in Scotland, but today is. My bank is open on Monday. I know this because I have a mortgage appointment.
We did go to Ireland once for Easter weekend. It was shut. Only place we could get a drink on the Friday was in our hotel, and that was residents only.

haggisaggis · 29/03/2013 14:50

Schools ARE in today in Angus (think we get St Andrews day instead!!) but off on Monday as that is start of Easter holidays. However last year I drove to work on Easter Monday and noticed Dundee schools were in...(State schools, not private)

sarahtigh · 29/03/2013 14:52

sodastreamy high church is the anglo-catholic wing of CofE sometimes called high anglican as opposed to low church which was the more evangelical plainer version

haggisaggis · 29/03/2013 14:54

As mentioned before, you cannot really ever say that one thing applies all over Scotland - school holidays, local holidays etc vary very much from council to council.

Talkinpeace · 29/03/2013 14:57

subjecttosurvey
there are also some stunningly uninformed people and I'm still trying to understand the person who said they were Christian but does not celebrate Easter. Without the crucifixion and the resurrection, which bits of the core tenets of the faith DO they celebrate?

bruffin · 29/03/2013 14:57

I want flounas now!!!!

sarahtigh · 29/03/2013 15:09

the last supper was actually a celebration of passover and is the first sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox so its dates can vary by upto about 30 days from the last week of march to last week of April (22nd march to 25th april)

according to biblical history it is known when Jesus died at passover as opposed to his birth which is guesswork what Jesus did say at passover was to remember him in the eating of bread and drinking wine ( commonly called communion./mass/ the lord's supper etc)

presbyterians generally did not celebrate Easter or christmas ( this has changed more recently) as there is no specific biblical commandment to celebrate these as festivals. stricter presbyterians worship according to the regulative principle in that only things specifically commanded in the bible such as communion and baptism are in public worship, the other view is that anything can be part of worship unless specifically forbidden

GreenShadow · 29/03/2013 15:09

There's a very interesting and informative write up on Easter and it's history in the Huffington Post
All from a non-religious angle.

sarahtigh · 29/03/2013 15:13

some Christians like presbyterians and evangelical baptists and other reformed churches do not have crucifixes or altars

they do believe in crucifixion and resurrection but believe that the way to remember Christs death is via the communion service, a lot of Christians do not agree with crucifixes, altars, images of any kind

the word Easter is not mentioned in the bible at all; the one reference in some translations is actually a mistranslation of passover

JollyYellowGiant · 29/03/2013 15:16

Our GP surgery is open. Our shops are open. We are in Scotland.

But England make a bigger thing about public holidays in general. We don't have the bank holiday weekend madness that goes on over the border, for any national or local holiday.