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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Shalom y'all and all that

Despite the gruesome premise of the holiday (remembering a evening of divine massacre), one of the things I admire about the celebration of Passover is that it is structured around a meal. Done well, a seder is at once a contemplative and educational experience, respecting the history and lessons of a people through times of hardship and perseverance, and a meal slowly paced, where each item has significance and meaning, and company and food can both be tested and savored.

The coincidence with the Christian/Pagan hybrid Easter celebration is at times just hilarious. After all, for many, the Easter meal is traditionally commemorated by a ham. Last year, I witnessed the hysterics of a proper Jewish woman so insulted at Central Market by having the Passover display right next to the bacon and ham section. The Casa McBardo tradition of feasting on bunny is a bit more apropos, methinks.

(On a side note, last night, I made an observation that the Hindus don't really need to celebrate Easter because for them, everyone gets reborn.)

Personally, I think we need a traditional party celebrating Good Friday. Hot cross buns were invented to remind people of the crucifixion day, but we can go all out. I say cruciform food, dancing to Madonna music from the 80's, and gambling for scraps of cloth should be in order. Heck, we could do the gambling with dreidels and bridge the histories.

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