Bright Monday

Lent is a season, Easter a day–or so I thought. But the fact that the church has traditionally celebrated Easter as a season is impressing itself on me, and this year, I’m paying attention all the way to Pentecost, fifty days from now. (Forty days will land us at Ascension Day, the day marking the return of Christ to Heaven in the sight of his disciples.) Why should repentance alone get the long series of days? Resurrection is surely as worthy of extended jumping up and down as repentance is of extending prostration.

The image above is of a traditional Easter Monday parade in Traunstein, Germany, not far from Munich. I wish I was there.

Wikipedia says this is “Bright Monday.” In Poland, the article says, the boys wake the girls by pouring buckets of water on their heads. Then they take a switch to them, whacking at their spindley legs with “decorated tree branches.” (Jody, watch out!) Not sure where those particular traditions started, but needless to say, “Bright Monday” would not be bright at my house if I started by throwing a bucket of water on my sleeping wife. But apparently the tradition survives to this day, though it sound like the water portion is far more popular than the switches. And take heart, girls–sounds like the females are attacking the males with buckets, too. What fun they’re having in Poland today! (Here’s an image of how it works out these days…)

It was a good day yesterday. Worship was loud and raucus (for a Church of Christ), our class was pensive as we wrapped up the discussion of Os Guinness’ The Call, and the life group assembled at our house was lively and truly welcome. It was a beautiful day, the food was great, and the whole notion of resurrection was very much on my mind. I’d started the day chasing the dawn, but I couldn’t find it, not really. Clouds to the east were in the way. And then my coffee shop was closed for Easter, which I was glad of for them and mad about for me. The video we shot for church went pretty well–it certainly didn’t embarrass me, which I was glad of. I’m not sure what it accomplished, but my sense was there people in the audience that felt just like Marty’s character, wondering how in the world it could be true, this resurrection?

For the next 50 days, I’m going to be thinking about it. Celebrating, wondering, thinking, blogging and talking. I like the idea, especially of keeping Bright Mondays.

…Here in Seattle, a rainy, windy, Bright Monday…