Thank you for posting this. It is fascinating. And very true, as anyone who has spent time in the ME can attest to.
One year my son was performing in Godspell during Holy Week. The whole family came to see him on Good Friday (this show was in a public school and the director was unaware that it was Holy Week but said it was his favorite musical.) So we all decided to observe Good Friday starting the evening of Holy Thursday (the fasting etc.) so we could go out for pie after the show. I later found out that is actually the most appropriate thing to do.