It’s Patriots’ Day, no… Evacuation Day… or… um…

Posted on | April 20, 2009 |

Here in Massachusetts we have a holiday today. It’s called Patriots’ Day, but that’s only because it’s celebrating the Evacuation of Boston by the British in 1777 and a couple of years ago someone thought ‘Evacuation Day’ was too hokey and too anti-British. For while, of course, it was called Easter Monday, but since specific religions are (it seems) not to be honored unless you happen to be a right wing politician the day was shifted, so that now it falls on Greek Orthodox Easter. Most people call today Marathon Day, because that’s what we do here, today, all day.

Don’t try and drive across town today. You won’t get there. The streets are blocked and prepared for the runners. The few remaining free roads are cluttered with media trucks and cables.

Underneath it all, though, I’m pleased.

Easter is a festival that overlaid the ancient seasonal agricultural festivals in Europe. It was a time that marked the rebirth of the vitality of the land, and as far as we can tell it has been honored in some way ever since Humans managed to get some sort of religious cohesion arranged, probably over 20,000 years ago. It’s therefore a very ancient festival, designed to put us all in tune with the rhythms of nature and the wonder of being on earth, now. The cycle of the seasons will exhilarate and humble us all, guaranteed.

So even though we’ve seemingly lost the true meaning of this Holy-Day we’ve somehow hit on exactly the best way to celebrate it; a festival of human athleticism that is not in a stadium, but which fills our streets, goes right past our doors, and makes us wonder at the power and endurance of the human frame. watching, we know that this year’s winners will be champions for a few years, perhaps, and then be past their best. They will fade just as human vitality fades. And each year there will be fresh competitors; just like the new shoots and buds on the plants they seem to come out of nowhere and be endlessly available, each year.

Now is the time to focus on this Marathon as an image of who we all are. We are part of Nature, not separate. Today’s winner will be forgotten before long, but that doesn’t dim the majesty of the win or detract from the spirit of the deed. We should all learn to live that way.

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