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On penitence
In medieval Christianity, the seasons of Lent and Advent were "penitential seasons", during which dancing, eating meat, and certain joyful and uplifting parts of the Mass were forbidden. They represented a sober spiritual preparation for the joyful and uplifting Easter and Christmas respectively. After the penitence and the joy, people officially went back to "ordinary time" the day after Easter or Christmas.
Today, we've reversed things. The months of November and December are an orgy of consumption, music, and visual spectacle. The penitential season begins with New Year's Day: get rid of the Christmas cookies, join a health club, put away the tree and the lights, balance the household budget, fill out your tax forms, wear sensible clothes. This penitential season has no clear endpoint: it sorta fades out over several weeks or months as people get tired of frugality and self-discipline.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to make this observation....
Today, we've reversed things. The months of November and December are an orgy of consumption, music, and visual spectacle. The penitential season begins with New Year's Day: get rid of the Christmas cookies, join a health club, put away the tree and the lights, balance the household budget, fill out your tax forms, wear sensible clothes. This penitential season has no clear endpoint: it sorta fades out over several weeks or months as people get tired of frugality and self-discipline.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to make this observation....
no subject
Some people don't try the suit on until the beaches/pools open. Some don't until they are unexpectedly invited to a pool party. Others may do this any time in the Spring. And there are certainly regional variations - ours in the North East starts later than most.
BTW- Liturgically, in the Catholic Church, at least, Ordinary Time begins at the end of the Christmas and Easter *seasons.* Yesterday, that is, which was the day after Epiphany, and the day after Pentecost. We get more than a day to celebrate.