When I was about ten my mother decided that, because she felt it was a more important in the context of christianity, she would upgrade Easter to Religious Festival No.1 – meaning we could give and receive presents, have a turkey and sing carols. In theory this also meant that Christmas dropped into Division 2 of the holiday league but me and my brothers reckoned that Christmas could look after itself and we would go with the new regime.
The idea behind my mother’s position was that Easter was a real celebration (ie. Jesus was murdered) with a real date (the Sunday after a full moon as long as Venus is in conjunction with Orion) whereas Christmas is quite obviously a pagan celebration that’s been appropriated by the Christian church, the Germans and the Americans (via Coca Cola). Needless to say the New Easter celebration didn’t catch on and, after a couple of years of singing Easter carols and messing about under the pathetic little Easter tree, we went back to giving each other cheap chocolate eggs. No-one mentioned it again.
I’m reminded of this unorthodox springtime memory because this year the Irish Government appeared to have taken a leaf out of my mother’s book – they too have decided to upgrade Easter. Or the Easter Rising, to be more specific. It’s gone from something embarassing that only earnest blokes in duffelcoats and John Lennon glasses harp on about to a state sanctioned celebration to be marked with the full military display and fly past. It being Northern Europe this meant a couple of old planes, a rickety old tank and a few thick-necked lads in combat trousers.
The name ‘Easter Rising’ suggests one of those springtime pagan virilty festivals – that’s been appropriated by the Christian church. It also sounds a bit quaint, like a little wave flowing down a tidal river, as if everyone is trying to avoid the subject. Like the Russian Revolution being called The Autumn Disagreement.
This Easter there were flags everywhere. The countryside was dotted with them. My father in law, who lives next door to us, flies a big flag from a massive flagpole that could interfere with light aircraft, along with ceremonial steps and a fancy iron gate. Lots of people seem to have gone down the flagpole route, which suggests that flags are Very Important in this part of the world. It certainly got the kids excited, not because they are Irish patriots, but because the Irish flag was almost the same colour as the strange Neapolitan ice cream that my wife bought in the local Mace supermarket. Strange because, instead of strawberry it had lemon curd flavour ice cream. Anyway, I’m surprised that no-one has thought of a special Irish Neapolitan ice cream for the Easter celebrations. It could be a real money spinner. Pistachio and vanilla ice cream with a mango sorbet?