17. » APRIL WITHOUT PROCESSION"
Friday April 3, 2020.
Sad prospect this April, on a planet where half the people are confined! Sad month of April for the supporters of the three monotheistic religions who see “their” month of April, “their” month both springy and strong in spirituality, their month of processions, family reunions and celebrations, going to ritual smoke. It is first of all the Christian Easter, on Sundays April 12 and 19 - one of the greatest festivals of the Christian calendar, which celebrates the victory of man over death -, the Jewish Passover from April 8 to 16, and this year, Muslim Ramadan, the date of which “goes back” over time, and which runs from April 23 to May 23. How many images converge in our mind when we think of Easter, the powerful Hispanic “semana santa”, where the Easter weekend is not three days like in France, but six days, since it begins with the processions of Ash Wednesday, these processions, of which those of Seville are famous, followed by the “férias de abril” where we dance flamenco and we drink Jerez - that of Seville, from April 26 to May 2 is postponed for the moment. And Ramadan, the fourth pillar of Islam, that long month when we reverse the rhythm of life, we fast during the day, and we take our three daytime meals at night. Souvenir of Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, in a light between dog and wolf, with its Annaba ficus rustling with birds, completely deserted when the youngster broke up, and invaded an hour later by families. The figures are alarming but there is a stabilization of new cases, except for the United States. This week from March 30 to April 5, China, with its more than 80,000 cases, gave up its title of No. 1 in number of infected people, and went No. 4, largely overtaken by the United States, the Italy, Spain. 236,339 for the United States - an increase of 70,000 cases this week, against 34,000 last week. 115,242 cases for Italy, an increase of 13,542 cases this week, up from 20,000 last week. 110,238 cases for Spain, an increase of 22,146 cases, up from 26,000 last week. 81,728 cases for Germany, or 15,843 new cases, less than last week. 59,105 cases for France, or 12,898 additional cases, 1,000 more than last week. While the sick are transferred by TGV, helicopters and military planes from regions to regions, to relieve congestion in hospitals, while the nation and its government are fighting on all fronts to adapt the economy and the social to the demands of the virus, the confinement begins to take effect. Let’s congratulate each other and keep it up. Let us approach these feasts in the analysis and let us retain in the spirituality. Our high priests are currently our doctors. And they order us to protect ourselves. “Scientia vincere tenebras".
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