The politics of feeling Good

So I've had numerous complaints from the Beaker People about the series of Lenten and then Holy Week themes.  They said I've been a bit gloomy talking about temptation and death and suffering and stuff. But you know, I thought it was important that we put a bit of depth; some seriousness and consideration into our Beaker ritual year.

I mean, we do talk about the cycles of the season and all the rest of it - the ups and downs, the dying and waking of nature. But in fact, when you get down to it, we kind of don't like the bad bits. Apart from St Morrissey's Day, and St Thomas of Mellstock's Day, we don't ever really get any down moods at all. And even on those days, there's still the relief of, for example, going aroung pretending to be a Dorset yokel and painting on fake smallpox scars. Which is why, for all that it's supposed to be Lent, most of the Beaker Folk have been going to work on a Creme Egg since early January.

The main reason the Beaker Folk shy away from Easter in particular is that it includes death. And they don't like that one little bit. They suspect that, if even God had to die, then they might have to face that as well. And they're not happy with it. On the whole they have less problem with the pain and the cross per se, as they're happy to reflect on the knowledge that the suffering was happening to someone else. But they feel that at a time when the spring is springing and birds are building nests and daffydowndillies are bloomin and frogs are busy making little frogs, all this obsession with death and tombs is a bit in bad taste. And they told me if I kept going on about it, they'd decide it was time for a holiday. They said what good was the so-called Gospel if all I did was keep telling them bad news?

So I've just got back from a walk to find a note telling me they've all cleared off. They're staying at a Travel Lodge on the south coast from now till Sunday, when they're coming back for the traditional Throwing the Eggs over the Moot House rituals. They like Easter Sunday. It's a happy day.