Mike et al Thanks for all the information. Interestingly, NEXT year will be similar. Eastern and Western Easter again fall on the same day (24 April 2011), at the end of Passover (25 April), just like this year. On the topic of music, let me add one more to your terrific suggestions: hearts of space dot com (hos.com) which specializes in new age, ambient music. They often feature programs that track seasons and holidays, and this week's program is no exception. Alot of NPR stations carry the weekly program, but the web site (for a fee) allows access to entire library.
========================== John W. Kulig Professor of Psychology Plymouth State University Plymouth NH 03264 ==================================================================== You rich and poor together, hold high festival! You sober and you heedless, honour the day! Rejoice today, both you who have fasted And you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away. - from St John Chrysostem's Paschal (Easter) homily ==================================================================== ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Palij" <m...@nyu.edu> To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu> Cc: "Mike Palij" <m...@nyu.edu> Sent: Sunday, April 4, 2010 10:37:02 AM Subject: [tips] What A Day: Mystery, Redemption, Astrology, Astronomy, History, and Tragedy Moveable feasts have one significant problem: The are moveable feasts. This might not be such a problem if a group of people applied one set of criteria and one calendar to identify when the feast should occur from year to year but, as is the case with Easter, three calendars are involved (the Western/Gregorian calendar, the Eastern/Julian calendar, and the Hebrew calendar). Originally, the dating of Easter by early Christians depended upon the dating of Passover (because it involved astronomical events and their astrological signs, sometimes there were errors which lead the early Christians to attempt new dating schemes for Easter). Over the centuries, many attempts have been made to bring some order to when the "Christian Passover"/Easter was to occur, from the Council of Nicea (circa 325) to attempts by the Word Council of Churches (e.g., in a meeting in 1997). Why, even the United Kingdom tried to legislate its date with the "Easter Act 1928" which would put Easter as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April (during April 9-15). The legal status of the act is unclear to me (i.e., is appears to be a law but apparently no one seems to follow it). But let me ask the fundamental question: What makes this year (2010) different from other years? Well, churches/religions that follow either the Gregorian (Western) or the Julian (old style/Eastern) calendars all celebrate Easter on the same date, that is, today April 4 (NOTE: some Catholic groups traditionally follow the Julian calendar for dating holy days so media characterization that "Catholic" and "Orthodox" Christian celebrate Easter on this date is somewhat in error -- not all Catholics follow the Gregorian scheme thought the Roman Catholics wish that everyone would get with the program and be team players). It should also be noted that are not all Christians observe/commemorate Easter. This should not come as a surprise given that there have been Christian groups that did not celebrate Christmas or made it illegal to do (e.g., the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed laws against observing Christmas which lasted several years; in Scotland it wasn't until 1967 that Christmas became a legal holiday when the Church of Scotland stopped objecting). One objection has been that the Easter holiday had appropriated pagan symbols (e.g., the "Easter Bunny" symbol of fertility, Easter eggs, and such which, I believe, can be related to Goddess myths) and celebrating these holidays was equivalent to celebrating paganism. Some groups today do not celebrate Easter because of their interpretation of the holiday and Christian theology, groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, the Quakers (Religious Society of Friends), and other groups. Much of the above is based on the Wikipedia entry (SDA) where one can get much more detail about the holiday; see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter For some "local American color" on the holiday, see: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/apr/04/together-in-faith/ And some additional background, see: http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/western/bldef_easter.htm However, of more contemporary relevance, it should be noted that Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated on this date in 1968. The report of the shooting that appeared in the NY Times is presented here: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0404.html#article For more info about the event, see the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_assassination Amidst the hope for redemption and joy for a positive future there is still death and tragedy. Whether you observe the day or not, consider listening to some music today. My suggestions include: (1) "Take Me to the River" See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_to_the_River Written by Al Green and is on his "Al Green Explores Your Mind"; see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_me_to_the_river I like Al Green's rendition but I am partial to the Talking Heads cover because, hey, you can dance to it! :-) For more on the Talking Heads, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_Heads The reason why to listen this song is that early Christians waited until Easter to be baptized. (2) "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_My_Hand,_Precious_Lord This was one of Martin Luther King Jr's favorite songs and as he lay dying requested that it would be played at the meeting he was supposed to attend that night. The one version of the lyrics to the song is available on Wikipedia. Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand I am tired, I am weak, I am worn Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home When my way grows drear Precious Lord linger near When my life is almost gone Hear my cry, hear my call Hold my hand lest I fall Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home When the darkness appears And the night draws near And the day is past and gone At the river I stand Guide my feet, hold my hand Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm lone Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home Consider: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1rsZenwNc Afterwards, listen to Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". (3) Something, anything by Stevie Wonder. I'd suggest Higher Ground: see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_Ground_%28Stevie_Wonder_song%29 Partial lyrics: Teachers keep on teachin' Preachers keep on preachin' World keep on turnin' Cause it won't be too long Careful with those fertility symbols. -Mike Palij New York University m...@nyu.edu P.S. At the end of day, to put yourself back into the world, listen to Dr. John's "Such A Night". --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: ku...@mail.plymouth.edu. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13338.f659d005276678c0696b7f6beda66454&n=T&l=tips&o=1731 or send a blank email to leave-1731-13338.f659d005276678c0696b7f6beda66...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=1745 or send a blank email to leave-1745-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
