"Most of our clients are closed for the holiday" WTF?

[Jokerman]

That's what I was just told by a tech support person. I responded with "what holiday" to which he replied rather indignantly "Well, good friday, of course."

I have never worked or attended school ANYWHERE that closed for good friday and this is the heart of the bible belt.

Is this a regional thing or have the churches finally taken over?

[Burma Jones]

1. The Stock Market is closed today

I think Good Friday is bigger with the Catholic Church than with the Protestants which may explain the lack of a holiday in the Heartland....

[Jokerman]

10. I didn't know the stock market was closed.

Probably a side effect of refusing to watch TV news.

You have a good point about the catholic/protestant thing, I hadn't thought of that. I guess they're all the same to me.

Cheers!

[Burma Jones]

12. And a joyous Equinox celebration to you too

These days I'm more likely to celebrate Passover at this time, but they are not in the same week this year......

[Jokerman]

16. The first day of spring is worth celebrating!

Now if I could only get the powers-that-be to give me the vernal equinox off, I would have myself a holiday.

[CTyankee]

18. Absolutely. I was born and raised in Texas and no way was there a Good Friday holiday!

Easter Sunday (particularly Morning Sunrise Services) were very big. No Good Friday at all. Church/State separation, ya know....

[rox63]

2. In my area, banks, public schools, govt offices, etc are closed

And I live in bluest Massachusetts. And US stock markets are closed today.

[MissMillie]

3. public schools in MA have always been closed for Good Friday

:shrug:

[libnnc]

4. Our University Library is closed today which pisses me off

I've got a ton of work to do...they've had limited hours for spring break and now closed this weekend!

[CTyankee]

27. I did graduate work at a Catholic college and had the same problem!

They would close at noon on the Wednesday before Easter and not reopen until Monday. Luckily, I still had the Internets! But when you had to depend on the library being open it could be a large pain in the butt.

[Connonym]

5. schools here are off on Good Friday

to my recollection it's always been the first day of spring break

[LeftyMom]

6. Nothing here closes on Good Friday. But nothing here closes Sundays, either

and I know in some places you're f'd if you need groceries or a car repair on the lawds day, so I guess we're just a buncha heathens out here.

[supernova]

7. Some places are closed Good Friday (today) or Easter Monday

they choose which they want to do.

It appears where you are, a lot of folks take Good Friday.

[Jokerman]

8. Not here they don't.

I guess I should have pointed out that I'm in Indiana and the tech support guy was in Florida.

I don't know of anyone around here that gets any time off for easter.

That's just one of the many reasons that I never really thought of it as a holiday.

[DS1]

9. My company follows the Nasdaq holiday schedule

which includes today

[ceile]

11. I'm the only person on my floor today.

And over half the building is out as well. Feels like a ghost town.

[TZ]

13. Two of my coworkers expressed surprise the other day that we aren't closed

for Good Friday. I've actually never worked for a company closed on Good Friday (must be that heathen scientist thing). However we do have "floating holidays" and I think some people used that.

[China_cat]

14. If it's a real holiday

why did we get mail?

[LibertyLover]

15. I have only worked one place- a law firm, that closed on Good Friday

of course we had to work the day after Thanksgiving to make up for it. I asked if I could work Good Friday and take the day after Thanksgiving off (in all seriousness) and was told no. I only lasted there 18 months. But were I work now, a major international non-government organization, there are a lot of people grousing about having to work today. And on the Metro this morning some woman was bitching to her friend about how "they can give you the 4th of July off but they don't respect Easter". I couldn't help myself - I gave her a dirty look. Hello girlfriend - of course "they" - whomever "they" are - respect Easter, you have it off don't you?

[Jimbo S]

17. I've never gone to school, nor worked on Good Friday.

Always been an off day.

[auntAgonist]

19. Good Friday was always a holiday in Ontario

Here in MI however, at least where I work, it's never been :(

We always went to church Good Friday.

aA

[Adams Wulff]

20. Our company came up with a "Spring Holiday" this year

and not a moment too soon.

[Rhythm]

21. We started Spring Break today...

My son's school was supposed to be closed, too, but they've had so many snow days that they decided to make them go today.

[no name no slogan]

22. Most of Europe, Canada, Australia, and a lot of Asia are also closed today

and also closed on Monday, as well. It's only the US that doesn't have a long weekend.

[Mike03]

23. Sounds like an escort service...LOL. NT

[Lex]

24. You think it might just be a "bible belt" thing?

I don't think so.

[fudge stripe cookays]

25. My old company closed for it.

International telecom firm. I wasn't crazy about the inference that we were all that devout, but hey...any excuse for a holiday between New Years and Memorial Day! :D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

26. It varies by region

When I was a kid, our spring break was always during Holy Week. Of course, those were the days when almost everyone in Minnesota was either Lutheran or Catholic.

When I was in grad school in Connecticut in the 1970s, it was illegal to sell liquor on Good Friday, much to the puzzlement and annoyance of out-of-state Yale students.

The New York Stock Exchange closes for Good Friday, but I believe it also closes for Jewish holidays.

[onager]

28. Here in Egypt, first day of spring is a national holiday

Sham el-Nessim, which literally means "smelling the breeze." Schools and business are closed by law that day, which is fixed as the first Monday after the Coptic Xian Easter. That Easter usually takes place at a different time than the Western Easter.

The holiday itself, happily, owes nothing to any monotheistic religion and dates back to Pharonic times. Egyptians celebrate it by going on family picnics, where they smell more than the breeze. One of the traditional dishes is a pungent and putrid serving of fermented fish.

Last Thursday was also a national holiday, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed. It's not celebrated with anything like the hoopla of Baby Jesus' birthday in the West. The only difference I noticed was some of the mosque ranters going off on longer tirades than usual.