Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
As Easter nears, no Easter in Annie's story or the BM movie?? But??
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: delalluvia on March 21, 2008, 01:20:25 pm ---The calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was crucified immediately before the Jewish Passover [or after depending upon interpretation - my comment], which is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Celebration of Passover started on the 14th or 15th day of the (spring) month of Nisan. Jewish months start when the moon is new, therefore the 14th or 15th day of the month must be immediately after a full moon. It was therefore decided to make Easter Sunday the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox. Or more precisely: Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the "official" full moon on or after the "official" vernal equinox.
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Thanks! This is good information. We see that Easter and Hebrew rituals were tied to the cycles of the moon. Prehistorical religions also revered the moon and carefully recorded its cycles. To ancient people, the moon is a powerful symbol of resurection and eternal life, because it disappears and is "born again" every month. As the noted Christian Theosophist, Alan Donant, wrote, "What of the stories of resurrection? These too are common. The Canaanites had their Baal -- sacred teacher, Lord of the Universe -- who was killed by monsters and resurrected to eternal life. In Egypt Osiris was born of the gods by virgin birth, and taught Egyptians their arts and skills. He was murdered by his brother, and rose from the dead with the help of Isis, his wife. A day was set aside to celebrate Osiris and the idea of resurrection and eternal life. The Scandinavian story of Odin has striking similarities to the Christian story. Odin recalls for the reader his own crucifixion from which he rose from the dead: 'I know that I hung in the wind-torn tree nine whole nights, spear-pierced. Consecrated to Odin, myself to my Self above me in the tree, whose root no one knows whence it sprang' (The Masks of Odin: Wisdom of the Ancient Norse, Elsa-Brita Titchenell, p. 126). The cross is often referred to as the tree of life.
With so many stories of virgin birth and resurrection, surely we cannot fail to see that, regardless of the forms they take or the peoples involved, these stories describe a universal process."
Annie Proulx and Ang Lee found the myth alive and well in the American West. As Proulx wrote in Brokeback Mountain, "He [Ennis] was still working there in September when Alman Jr., as he called his daughter, was born and their bedroom was full of the smell of old blood and milk and baby shit, and the sounds were of squalling and sucking and Alma's sleepy groans, as reassuring of fecundity and life's continuance to one who worked with livestock."
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on March 23, 2008, 02:49:55 pm ---Thanks! This is good information. We see that Easter and Hebrew rituals were tied to the cycles of the moon. Prehistorical religions also revered the moon and carefully recorded its cycles. To ancient people, the moon is a powerful symbol of resurection and eternal life, because it disappears and is "born again" every month. As the noted Christian Theosophist, Alan Donant, wrote, "What of the stories of resurrection? These too are common. The Canaanites had their Baal -- sacred teacher, Lord of the Universe -- who was killed by monsters and resurrected to eternal life. In Egypt Osiris was born of the gods by virgin birth, and taught Egyptians their arts and skills. He was murdered by his brother, and rose from the dead with the help of Isis, his wife. A day was set aside to celebrate Osiris and the idea of resurrection and eternal life. The Scandinavian story of Odin has striking similarities to the Christian story. Odin recalls for the reader his own crucifixion from which he rose from the dead: 'I know that I hung in the wind-torn tree nine whole nights, spear-pierced. Consecrated to Odin, myself to my Self above me in the tree, whose root no one knows whence it sprang' (The Masks of Odin: Wisdom of the Ancient Norse, Elsa-Brita Titchenell, p. 126). The cross is often referred to as the tree of life.
With so many stories of virgin birth and resurrection, surely we cannot fail to see that, regardless of the forms they take or the peoples involved, these stories describe a universal process."
Annie Proulx and Ang Lee found the myth alive and well in the American West. As Proulx wrote in Brokeback Mountain, "He [Ennis] was still working there in September when Alman Jr., as he called his daughter, was born and their bedroom was full of the smell of old blood and milk and baby shit, and the sounds were of squalling and sucking and Alma's sleepy groans, as reassuring of fecundity and life's continuance to one who worked with livestock."
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This is almost always true, but in this circumstance we cannot say the same for the ancient Hebrew peoples. As Wikipedia says, "the Jewish months started on the new moon." i.e. that's when they started counting. Most ancient peoples used a lunar calendar because it was easier to count than a solar calendar which was more difficult to track, yet more accurate. Their Exodus happened on a certain date, so they just started counting from the beginning of their month to get to the correct date. It was the Christians who started the wonky calculations of Easter, and as you can tell from Wikipedia, they were no where near in agreement as to the date for several centuries.
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on March 21, 2008, 11:18:10 pm ---I'm not sure Annie was as all-knowing and prescient as you think, Artiste. But, nevertheless, there is the fact, sad as it is, that Matthew Shepherd was beaten, tied to a fence, and left for dead only one year after the publication of the story Brokebake Mountain, and in Wyoming, no less. What was his crime? He came on to a person or persons in a bar in Laramie, Wyoming. Certainliy, this world remains ignorant and full of fear, and we have much to regret.
But, every spring, hope springs eternal, even though there is no reason to expect it. Why? I don't know. But, I celebrate and welcome the return of spring, and of hope!!
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words to live by!
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: delalluvia on March 21, 2008, 01:20:25 pm ---Good question. This is what Wikipedia says:
The calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was crucified immediately before the Jewish Passover [or after depending upon interpretation - my comment], which is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Celebration of Passover started on the 14th or 15th day of the (spring) month of Nisan. Jewish months start when the moon is new, therefore the 14th or 15th day of the month must be immediately after a full moon. It was therefore decided to make Easter Sunday the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox. Or more precisely: Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the "official" full moon on or after the "official" vernal equinox. The official vernal equinox is always 21 March. The official full moon may differ from the real full moon by one or two days. (Note, however, that historically, some countries have used the real (astronomical) full moon instead of the official one when calculating Easter. This was the case, for example, of the German Protestant states, which used the astronomical full moon in the years 1700-1776. A similar practice was used in Sweden in the years 1740-1844 and in Denmark in the 1700s.) The full moon that precedes Easter is called the Paschal full moon.
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a calculation made in the time of the Emperor Constantine, right?
Artiste:
Thanks Front-Ranger!
You say to quote Annie:
As Proulx wrote in Brokeback Mountain, "He [Ennis] was still working there in September when Alman Jr., as he called his daughter, was born and their bedroom was full of the smell of old blood and milk and baby shit, and the sounds were of squalling and sucking and Alma's sleepy groans, as reassuring of fecundity and life's continuance to one who worked with livestock."
...............
Front-Ranger, and to all too:
Does this mean that Alma worked with livestock ??
Or is that like just an Easter myth??
Happy Easter!!
Hugs!!
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