Every year around Easter time I get out my CD of Stabat Mater by Dvorak, his Op. 58 based on a medieval poem about Mary watching her son Jesus being crucified (click link to see poem). The sorrow of separation is palpable.
I prefer Good Friday music to Christmas music as it seems to represent the human condition more then the falsely cheery stuff that is used as misdirection to divert our attention from the dying of the sun at its nadir.
Easter is early this year. Like Gaura Paurnima it is based on the moon calendar. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which fell on March 20 this year). The last time Easter was this early was 1913 and the next time it will be this early will be 2228 (220 years from now).
Gaura Paurnima is on the full moon, so I am wondering how many times it has ever fallen on Good Friday? Would it be about the same amount of times as Easter being on this early date? Any calender experts in the house?
I don’t think it is very often, as I don’t remember the crowd of visitors ever being this big on Gaura Paurnima as it is this weekend. I assume it is because a lot of schools are out so pilgrims can travel with their children on Friday and also many workplaces may have had the day off.
