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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Angelika In America, aside from December 25th for Christmas, there are no religious public holidays where employees have the day off. Good Friday and Easter Monday are just regular workdays. However, many Americans do celebrate Easter. Children hunt for Easter eggs, and the churches are full. San Francisco celebrates a very special event every year at Easter, which falls into the "Only In San Francisco" category. The "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" celebrate Easter Sunday in Dolores Park, just around the corner from us, in a very unique way.
The sisters are homosexual men dressed as colorful nuns and represent a non-profit organization whose members tirelessly collect donations for charitable projects. They raise money for AIDS projects or support groups that advocate for more tolerance. Funds are directed to institutions that care for homosexual seniors, local hospices, or homeless shelters for families, as well as to breast cancer aid, with a particular focus on smaller organizations that might otherwise be overlooked. Sexual education and ending discrimination against people with different sexual orientations are also important to the group.
The sisters founded their somewhat unusual order in 1979 in San Francisco. It originally consisted exclusively of gay men. Nowadays, the group is more diverse, and women are also among the members. There are also branches in many American cities and other countries. In Germany, you can find the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" in Cologne, Berlin, and Hamburg. However, San Francisco is still considered the motherhouse.
Of course, it has not escaped your notice that the clothing and chosen names are intended as a humorous parody of the rituals and customs of the Catholic Church. Naturally, some church leaders and strict Catholics do not appreciate this. It has been suggested that the special Easter celebration of the sisters should no longer be held on Holy Easter Sunday but on another day, though this has not been successful so far. I can only say, stay relaxed, because the San Francisco sisters have raised over 1 million dollars through their voluntary efforts since their inception and have distributed it charitably.
But back to the Easter fun at Dolores Park. The "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" are known not only for raising a lot of money but also for putting on an entertaining show. Easter at Dolores Park starts innocently enough in the morning with an Easter egg hunt for children. Later, you might want to send them home, as the crazy hat competition ("Bonnet Contest") follows, along with the particularly popular "Hunky Jesus" contest, where the craziest/most beautiful Jesus is chosen. An endless line of men in original or less original outfits (some barely dressed) attempt to portray Jesus. The winner, whom you can see in illustration 1, impressed this year not with any frills but solely with his natural demeanor and convincing gestures. If you happen to be in San Francisco for Easter, don't miss this San Francisco institution!
Greetings from by far the craziest city in the world:
The translation of "Angelika & Michael" to English is "Angelika & Michael," as these are proper names and typically do not change when translated between languages.
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