Green Shoots for Easter
For a child, Easter can mean fancy attire, hunting for Easter eggs, and lots of candy. The hunt to find the best egg with the biggest prize was something to wake up to excited about Easter Sunday. Now, as an adult, we tend to appreciate holidays and their meanings a little more, and sometimes wonder why or how holidays are celebrated.
Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The Paschal Full Moon is the first full Moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, which signifies the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. This date is to make sure that it is always after the Jewish holiday Passover because you cannot have his death and resurrection celebrations occur before his last supper which was on Passover.
While the current pandemic has forced us to change or postpone any Easter plans with large gatherings of people, there is still good news out there. The term “green shoots” describes any positive sign of economic recovery during a downturn. Referencing the new growth and recovery of a plant, the term first gained popularity back in 1991 when Chancellor Norman Lamont used it to describe indications of economic recovery in the United Kingdom. Almost 20 years later, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke used the term in a 2009 interview about the financial crisis.
Although there are people all over the world who are suffering, whether it be from sickness, loss of their job, or the stress of everything going on around them, there are small signs of recovery happening around us. For instance, two U.S. companies, BD and BioMedomics, have recently launched a rapid antibody test for COVID-19, which will be able to tell who was infected with the virus, and has since recovered. An antibody test is great news because it will be able to help scientists develop a vaccine, and also help them figure out who has immunity for future infection of the virus, if at all. Hopefully the tests will be ready for public use within a few months.
Another “green shoot” example would be the expectation of pent-up demand to pump the economy back up after people have been isolating in their homes for so long. There could be periods of overspending by individuals at restaurants and non-essential retailers who sell clothing, cosmetics, and home goods. This is a good indication that our economy will be able to recover after a period of unease and difficulty.
Stay safe and healthy, and have a Happy Easter!
By Karen M. Thompson, Paralegal