On Friday 3rd April a cruise ship is visiting St. Helena. Normally all the shops would be open to meet the tourists' demand for souvenirs. Moonbeams Shop certainly would have been. But not this time, because Friday 3rd April is Good Friday, and therefore a Public Holiday, and the Public Holidays Ordinance says that all "shops, offices, workshops and factories" must be closed.
The Governor could, under the Public Holidays Ordinance, have moved the date on which Good Friday was celebrated. The Ordinance explicitly mentions him doing so for "ship visits". But he decided not to, presumably because of the outcry from the Church that would have resulted.
So once again, religion is standing in the way of ordinary people going about their ordinary lives.
I hope the tourists enjoy their souvenir-free day. Those who are Christians may understand - the Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc. may feel somewhat hard done by, being forced to observe a religious rite that is not their own. No wonder Christianity is held with such suspicion by all non-Christians.
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