Catholic

Catholic Christianity

1. denoting or relating to the entire body of Christians, esp to the Church before separation into the Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western Churches

2. denoting or relating to the Latin or Western Church after this separation

3. denoting or relating to the Roman Catholic Church

4. denoting or relating to any church, belief, etc., that claims continuity with or originates in the ancient undivided Church

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Easter Monday

Between March 23 and April 26; Monday after Easter

Although Easter Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week and the end of Lent, the following Monday (also known as Pasch Monday ) is observed as a public holiday in many nations, perhaps to round off the long weekend that begins on Good Friday. In London there is a big Easter parade in Hyde Park on this day.
A curious English tradition associated at one time with Easter Monday involved "lifting" or "heaving." Forming what children call a "chair" by crossing hands and grasping another person's wrists, the men would lift the women on Easter Monday—sometimes carrying them for a short distance down the street or to the village green—and on Easter Tuesday the women would lift the men. A similar retaliatory game involved taking off each other's shoes. This is thought to have a connection with the resurrection of Christ. Polish children play smigus, a water-throwing game.

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 242
BkFest-1937, pp. 16, 57, 261
DictDays-1988, pp. 8, 11, 35, 55, 56, 122
EncyEaster-2002, p. 122
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 91
OxYear-1999, p. 625

Celebrated in: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, England and Wales, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Ireland, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Republic of Georgia, Republic of Kosovo, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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Easter Monday (Netherlands)

Between March 23 and April 26; Monday after Easter

Easter Monday, or Paasch Maandag, is celebrated in the Netherlands with games played with Easter eggs. Eierrapen, or hunting for eggs, is a favorite pastime among younger children. Eiertikken, or hitting hard-boiled eggs together, is a sport for children of all ages. In rural areas, the eggs are still dyed with coffee grounds, beet juice, onion skins, and other vegetable substances. Then they're packed in baskets and carried to an open field for the eiertikken contest. At a given signal, the children line up and try to break the shell of an opposing team member's egg (the two eggs must be the same color) by knocking them together. The winner keeps the opponent's egg, and the boy or girl who collects the most eggs wins.
Another Easter game, which was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries and was still played in the 20th, is called the eiergaren. Played by both children and adults who assemble in the main streets of villages on Easter Monday, the game involves a tub of water with a huge apple floating in it. The tub is placed in the middle of the road and 25 eggs are placed at intervals of about 12 feet along the same road. One person must eat the apple with his hands tied behind his back while a second contestant has to run and gather up all the eggs in a basket before the apple is eaten. Whoever finishes his or her task first is the victor.

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 242
EncyEaster-2002, p. 123
FestWestEur-1958, p. 131

Celebrated in: Netherlands