Arcadia Ireland

This week is Easter, a very important time for the Irish calendar.

• Good Friday is the beginning of Easter weekend and is one of two days in Ireland where it is totally prohibited to sell alcohol (the other is Christmas Day). This is because Irish Catholics would have traditionally commemorated the death of Jesus on Good Friday through fasting and abstinence. There has been a lot of debate in recent years if this should be changed considering the increasingly multicultural nature of Irish society; however nothing has happened on this yet so either plan ahead or do without! Although the Irish would have abstained from large meals, sweets, alcohol and meat on Good Friday; we also celebrate by eating Hot Cross Buns, which are a type of sweet-bread with fruit.
• The Saturday of Easter weekend (also known as Holy Saturday) is usually quite a chilled out affair in Ireland. Many people will attend a candle lit vigil mass on Saturday evening, while it is also a very popular night to head out to the pubs and bars. It is also the night that the Easter Bunny does the rounds!
• Sunday starts off with lots of chocolate! Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent, which many Irish people still partake in in their own way; children giving up anything from chocolate to Nintendo, and adults giving up luxuries or hitting the gym. On Easter Sunday small children wake up to chocolate eggs at the end of their beds, and Easter egg hunts are organised in towns and parks. Again many people will attend Mass, after which a roast dinner of spring lamb is eaten, followed by more chocolate!

Beannachtaí na Cásca oraibh! (Happy Easter!)