Barbara Gloudon’s weekly column was inadvertently omitted from our Holy Thursday edition which incorporated features of our Thursday and Friday papers. Here, therefore, is her column.

EASTER is back again, meaning different things to different people. There are “the devouts”, the believers in life, death and resurrection. Then, there are those who refuse to accept the concept of Easter, pointing to its proximity to ancient calendars and customs which suggest paganism.

Annually, the battle here is fought in correspondence to the media, the same writers surfacing again and again.

Whatever else is wrong with us, however, we still are allowed religious diversity which permits contending views even in the name of righteousness. “Belief kill and belief cure.” What is even more interesting (for me, at least) is the way our “Easter culture” has changed over time.

Not so long ago, certain festivities were taboo at this time of year, even among the unchurched. Few if any weddings were conducted in churches while Lent was on. It was unthinkable that there would be dances, picnics, etc on Good Friday. The radio stations — RJR and JBC — played the most solemn music: hymns, classics, etc from morning until the 3:00 pm hour was past and the last Word from the Cross had been said.

Good Friday evening was reserved for Passion Plays in church halls and movies of Biblical stories were featured at popular cinemas. Then, it was time for Charlton Heston to play Moses and sometimes, God. The story from the Cross was a major theme of films regarded as suitable for Good Friday.

A senior citizen, re-living those times, observed how disciplined the population was, when attending the various events. Christian and non-Christian alike demonstrated an air of reverence. There were no long-weekend beach parties. No one would have imagined Jamaica-style Carnival parades, jumping up outside Church in session. As to sound systems blaring hard-core music through the night, who would dare? Different times, Dads, different times.

ONE THING about which there’s no controversy is bun and cheese. It would be most fascinating to know how much of this Easter staple is produced at this time of year. Even more interesting is the export factor. So what if it was the English who invented hot cross buns which became associated with Easter celebrations? That, along with Easter eggs, bunny rabbits, and all that stuff has been used to justify the pagan libel.

It is time to issue a global proclamation that the Jamaican Easter bun is “the artical”, the real deal, not to be confused with anything else. In the diaspora, there are bakeries proudly proclaiming our heritage, baking their version of Easter buns, but the faithful still can recognise those produced ‘a Yard’, which took the plane ride to reach in time for the celebrations.

Another diaspora trend is the appetite for “cheese from Yard”. We’re not talking Edam and Gouda and Brie and all “dem fancy tings”. We’re talking “made in Jamaica cheese” which has to be bright yellow, somewhat rubbery in consistency and packed in tins, which can be recycled when the feast is over. I bet even in Farrin, where you can get anything to buy, our people still put cheese tins to good use.

Do not get the impression that our Easter bun and cheese travel solely to North America. It ain’t so. We also revive taste buds down the islands. At times like these, we’re glad to be neighbours. Travellers out of Jamaica are expected to land, bearing the distinctive cheese tin and the bun in a box. I hope when next we’re talking to the IMF about exports, we will show them the invaluable contribution of “bun and patty” to global culture.

And now, responding to comments about last week’s column, read on…

IT TURNS out that praedial larceny is such a major problem in member states of Caricom that it prompted a study of all its implications.

It was approached with due seriousness, looking at such areas as ‘Praedial larceny and household food insecurity in Caricom’, ‘The role of social and business relationships in praedial larceny’ and ‘Magnitude of loss to the region and other areas’.

The findings were put together in a report titled Analysis of the State of Praedial Larceny in Member States of Caricom.

Countries whose experiences were examined included: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Belize. The crime was prevalent not only on land but at sea as well. According to regional data, farmers and fishers, have all suffered at the hand of thieves.

Praedial larceny is not selective. Even work clothes of fishermen and farmers have been taken, according to the analysis. In some places, as soon as the bandits have cleaned out one crop, they move to another to rob again. The study comes to the conclusion that praedial larceny is no simple crime. Worse yet, it is now operating across intra-regional borders and is linked to other types of serious illegal activities.

Time for action. Thanks to the reader who shared the findings with me. Sadly, he does not seem hopeful for positive action anytime soon. The future could be now. We really have to be more proactive. Meanwhile, there are some other timely matters to consider…

RESURRECTION STORIES: The world is agog over the new Pope who is publicly ridding himself of pomp and pageantry… No red designer shoes, no fur-trimmed cape for Francis the First.

He identifies with the life of the poor, moving easily among them and behaving much like he did before he was elevated to Rome. Predictions are for a new age in the Roman Catholic Church. So be it.

ANGLICANS installed a new leader two weeks ago. At age 56, the Most Revd Justin Welby, a former businessman who gave up successes in oil trading and other lucrative occupations to dedicate his life to the priesthood, is one of the youngest to be elected Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. As the Church changes, female bishops may be next to make the headlines. Let’s see.

BISHOP HERRO BLAIR urges his Jamaican flock not to dwell on darkness and despair about present economic conditions but “remember God will provide”. The bishop’s optimism is a welcome change from the prevailing doom-saying. Thanks, sir.

GONE HOME: On the brink of his 91st birthday, senior Kingstonian Frank Gordon — dedicated Garveyite, trade unionist, historian, nationalist and more — has said his final farewell. He was one of the best. The PM and Cabinet members took time out from retreat to attend his funeral service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral on Saturday, March 23, and then rushed back to Jamaica House to wrestle with the fiscal demons. That battle is beginning to appear in need of divine intervention. Let us pray!

Blessings to all, big and small.

gloudonb@yahoo.com