Remember when Everyone knew about Church?

That time when just about everyone, yes ALL the people you met, knew the Lord's Prayer (traditional version) and could quote passages (King James Version) and knew that the time before Christmas was Advent and the time before Easter was Lent (and they knew this was a 'purple' season too!)?

I happened to mention to someone that Advent started next week and they, being rather typical of the people I tend to meet these days, assumed that I was talking about a new club. After all Trinity has become Kuda (which is, if memory serves me correctly, the name of a Tapir in India) so it makes sense that Advent might be another renaming!

I explained that Advent was the time before Christmas and immediately they picked up on it and asked whether that was another name for the twelve days before Christmas!!

Thus stopped in my tracks I moved the bus back a little and explained that the twelve days of Christmas actually began on Christmas Day (which this year, I added, will happen on the 25th December) and ends with Epiphany (5th January) - so they occur AFTER Christmas.

 Quick as a flash, back comes the response, 'Epiphany? Isn't that what they do when someone dies - Why do they do it for Christmas?

'No, no, no.' said I (patiently), 'That's an epitaph!'

'Yes, that's what you said. Why do one at Christmas because that's all about giving presents not dead people. That's Hallowe'en!'

So I began to explain that Hallowe'en was not about epitaphs nor dead people and get on to All Souls, Saints and all that stuff when I came up with a great idea!

I looked at them and said, 'Never mind - soon be Christmas won't it?' And left knowing when I'd been soundly beaten :-)