Easter Carnival at the Royal Randwick Racecourse

Easter Monday
Today all of Australia is “on holiday”; it’s part of the four day long weekend. This weekend also is the start of a two week school holiday. Many people travel with their kids on family vacations. It’s the weekend when most traffic accidents occur in Australia. The warnings were very similar to our Labor Day travel announcements. This is also the time when Australians dress up for the high social event called “The Royal Randwick Racecourse Easter Carnival” The race course is just down the street from The Centre and today I decided to take a walk down the hill to see what was happening.
As the pictures here show, while it is hard to find an Aussie dressed up for business, church or the opera, they dress “to the nines” for the Easter Carnival.

There are several horse races at the Raceway this week; it is the high society event of the season. The Royal Randwick Raceway is also the location of next year’s (July 08) World Youth Day final mass at which Pope Benedict XVI will preside.

Since I got to The Centre I have been wanting to walk around Centennial Park. This large beautiful space of trees, ponds, paths and people was teaming families out enjoying the sun. It’s been a wet weekend here and today’s break in that weather was enthusiastically embraced by the Sydneysiders who enjoyed time in the park and the raceway. Easter is celebrated differently here. You see Easter Banners and sales in the stores, but it is about the Easter Bunny and chocolate and getting ready for Winter. We do have our challenges, living in a secular culture. I guess as followers of the Risen One we must live our lives in such a way as make his resurrected presence shine through us. I like celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection when nature is unfolding into Spring with its new life and hope.