A Different Kind of Spring Break

Spring break 2011 is upon us. Tens of thousands of college and university students are in the process of making their annual pilgrimage to party meccas in Florida, Arizona, Mexico, Texas and the Caribbean. Some will travel internationally to Europe, which is aggressively marketing itself to American youths.

In researching background material, I came across an advertisement from Ireland appealing to young people to pursue cultural interests, rather than giving in to primal urges. Yet, if you notice, the ad lists “over 10,000 bars” and a “young, party-going population” among its top four reasons for choosing the Emerald Isle!

Some claim the modern spring break has its roots in the Dionysian (Greek) and Bacchanalian (Roman) rites of spring, which included “drinking and dancing until participants were in an altered consciousness, open to the irrational calls of the god of earthly pleasures.”

Without doubt, there is a strong parallel to the restraint-free revelry of ages past, but today’s spring break has more recent roots. It probably began over 100 years ago with wealthy university students heading to resorts to relax after experiencing a semester of classes and exams. When colleges became coed in the early 20th century, another dimension was added to the spring break, although not yet with the reputation for wild abandon.

Fort Lauderdale becomes “Fort Liquordale”

Time reported that the first “bacchanal” of spring break occurred in the late 1930s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By the 1950s, Fort Lauderdale advertised itself as America’s No. 1 university town—when it didn’t have a single university!

The 1961 movie Where the Boys Are about spring break in Fort Lauderdale, followed by the decade of “free love,” opened the floodgates to young men and women who came to “party hearty.” The tradition grew in the 1970s and ’80s (encouraged further by the 1983 movie Spring Break), until Fort Lauderdale had enough of the drunken, hedonistic behavior of over 370,000 young adults. The city enacted strict laws, and the partyers moved to Daytona Beach and elsewhere.

The historical roots of today’s spring break may not be in Greece or Rome, but spring break’s “moral roots” certainly are.

A different reason for spring break

In stark contrast, the timing for the spring recess from school classes has typically been set around the time of Passover or Easter, allowing students and their families a break to practice their faiths. (Easter is another story, but suffice it to say that its roots are more in line with ancient Greece and Rome than they are with the Bible. See our FAQ: “What Is the Origin of Easter?” for more information.)

What a contrast the biblical Passover is to the uninhibited self-indulgent nature of “spring break.” The Passover season involves a time of quiet reflection about one’s behavior, including self-examination to see if one needs to repent of unacceptable conduct.

Passover evening is a deeply moving memorial of the personal sacrifice our Creator made, giving His life so that ours might be spared. Observing it is inspiring, uplifting, sobering and humbling at the same time.

It is no coincidence that in the 1960s, when spring break was coming to the full, an anti-God attitude began to pervade American culture. Americans in general were still religious, still considered themselves Christian. But young adults in particular rejected anyone or any religion placing restraints on their behavior.

Remembering God instead of running from Him

The Passover, on the other hand, sees God as the very real Sovereign of a person’s life. Someone observing the Passover wants to know what restraints God has placed on human behavior.

The word Passover derives from the historical “passing over” of the Israelites by the angel that struck dead every firstborn in Egypt.

Sadly, many normally authoritative resources will define the Passover as when “the Jews” were delivered from Egypt. In reality, those saved from death were Israelites, a large nation that incorporated 12 expanded families. One of those families was Judah, whose descendants are known as Jews.

So, Passover isn’t a Jewish festival. But neither is it an Israelite festival. Did you know that God calls it His Passover in Leviticus 23:5?

Many are unaware of the fact that it is a Christian festival! The apostle Paul wrote, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

Nowhere does the Bible say, “Christ, our Easter was sacrificed for us.” Easter is the name of an ancient fertility goddess (note the tie-in to spring break!); it is truly not a biblical festival.

While spring break is typically morally destructive, creating memories that the partygoer hopes are not immortalized on YouTube, Passover is morally constructive, reinforcing memories that strengthen the inner character.

The Passover is one of the Fundamental Beliefs of Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

 

Cecil Maranville coordinates Personal Correspondence for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.