A rainy Good Friday looms over portions of Northern Luzon and Mindanao as two weather disturbances continue to threaten the regions with rains and thunderstorms. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said a diffused tail end of a cold front continues to affect the northern portion of Luzon, while an easterly wave continues to affect Mindanao.We do celebrate Easter in a secular fashion, with eggs, chocolate rabbits and so on, but the time for that is Easter Sunday, which comes with its own public holiday the following day. "Celebrating" Good Friday would be inappropriate in religious as well as secular terms -- although that didn't stop The Australian last year headlining a Good Friday report with "Aussie Christians celebrate Easter". Theology is not our strong point.
Each year, religious figures find something to criticise as "desecration" of the day. This year it was Tabcorp opening for business; a couple of years ago it was a plan to play an evening football game. But what's remarkable is how little of this sort of thing there is. Other public holidays -- Australia Day, Queen's Birthday, Labour Day, even Anzac Day -- seem to cope with far more social activity than Good Friday.
