"Somerville News Weekly" doesn't understand Jewish holidays

[ron_newman]

This week's print edition of The Somerville News Weekly, a local alleged newspaper, has Happy Easter & Happy Passover as its main above-the-fold headline. Nobody there bothered to learn that Passover starts a month later than Easter this year, on the evening of April 22.

Comments

[zdenka]

The sad thing is that they could have said Happy Purim and they'd have been on target!

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

It's the same way people always wish me a Happy Chanukka right around Xmas, no matter when the actual holiday is.

When I went to the Porter Square Star for kasha & bowties a couple of days ago, I noticed they had an entire display of Kosher for Passover foods. I wonder if they'll still be available in late April when they'll be relevant.

[kelkyag]

Matzo & such always show up a month or more before Passover. I assume this is about the production and shipping cycle -- by the time Passover starts, I suspect kosher-for-passover matzo production is done for the year.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

A lot of people stock up in advance. But most supermarkets just trot out the matzo for every Jewish holiday, so I don't think they're targeting the real market for holiday foods.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

It's not just a Jewish holiday: "Some Christians, out of deference for traditional Gentile Easter dates, choose to celebrate Passover, or hold Seders, on the Thursday before Easter, known as Maundy Thursday, or the Last Supper observance."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_(Christian_holiday)

[ron_newman]

These practices look very foreign to me as a Jew.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Holidays always get reused and syncretized. I mean, look at the word "Easter": "From Old English ēastre, apparently from Ēastre, the name of a goddess whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox, from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ."

[ron_newman]

Whereas in many other languages. the word for today's holiday is something similar to "Pasqua" or "Pâques" which derive from "Pesach".

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Passover is not a Christian holiday. Just because some Christians "choose to celebrate it" doesn't make it a Christian holiday.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

+1

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

Yes, this!

[abilouise.livejournal.com]

This is consistent with my experience of celebrating Jewish holidays in Massachusetts in general. I have so much love for Porter Square books for being the one local store (to me, Brookline isn't local) that consistently gets Jewish holiday merch right and has a nice assortment.