Whatever happened to dressing up on Easter Sunday?

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Saturday, April 10, 2004 | Alyson Walls

[Willie Green]

Although famed musical composer Irving Berlin thought them lovely enough to write a sonnet, nowadays few women are donning Easter bonnets.

In fact, you're more apt to see wrinkled khakis and rumpled polo shirts than pressed suits and pastel pumps at church on Sunday.

While Easter Sunday has traditionally been the day to show off your new spring finery, America has become a nation that dresses down, and not just on "casual Fridays" in the office.

[stboz]

...you should dress at least as well as you would to meet a great king

The only King I ever hope to meet will love me whether I wear a suit or a tanktop. I just wish He were here already.

[tiamat]

There were old Roman (and other ) springtime holidays that had to do with fertility...Eating eggs was considered lucky for any woman trying to conceive at this time of year. A lot of the time the eggs were colored red to symbolize the sun, blood, life....the Greeks still do the red eggs.

The rest of us like other colors as well.

And BUNNIES are famous for... well.... you know! ;-)

I think bonnets are simply because after a long , drab, winter, people want a bit of color to celebrate spring!

A lot of these pagan traditions got co-opted into our modern Easter traditions.... they are simply fun "extras" nowadays.


Does this help?

[Maigrey]

Origins of Easter

I hope this helps.

[It's me]

Well, people will dress up nicely to see the Pres or to out to a party but, they won't dress up nicely to see Our Lord.

Sad...

[Junior]

The egg is a symbol of rebirth. Bunnies are pagan fertility symbols that have made their way to modern times as a sign of spring. Bonnets just look good.

[CindyDawg]

Yesterday my little grandsons and I colored eggs. I had 2 1/2 dozen, minus 1 (my husband got to them first:'). Anyway I told them the Story and drew pictures on the eggs and then after colored and it showed the oldest would repeat the lesson back to me. It was fun and Christian :')

[E Rocc]

One thing I've noticed is that while over the last decade or two Christmas has gotten more secular and commercial, Easter has become more of a religious holiday, therefore less on the radar for non-religious people.

Those who bemoan the secularization of Christmas presumably would like this trend.

-Eric

[Willie Green]

Could somebody here please explain to this Jew what bunnies, eggs and bonnets have to do with the resurrection of Christ?

The extremely loose connection correlates the Resurrection of Christ with other traditional customs celebrating the rebirth of Spring.

The pagan origins of the Easter Bunny

[ryanjb2]

"Could somebody here please explain to this Jew what bunnies, eggs and bonnets have to do with the resurrection of Christ? I'm not being facetious. "

Well, we've only been non-Pagans for 1500-1000 years now, so traditions die hard.

[tiamat]

Cindy, I am gonna fix you up!

Look here for some fun, Christian kid-friendly food activities!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1108853/posts

[Spiff]

The tradition in my family is to buy all of the children new Easter clothes which they then wear until the Fall or later. My girls are going to church today in pretty new matching springtime dresses, my sons have new dress pants, shirts, and ties. I would have bought the wife a new dress, but the local stores had NOTHING.

[heylady]

I was always taught that you put a little effort in your appearance. It was a sign of respect. You respected the church enough to wear your "best" clothes.

Sunrise service at 6am we were all dressed in our Sunday best, Jackets, shirts and ties,even on my 15 month old grandson.

[DCPatriot]

Call me crazy, but I'm much more certain that the Lord would rather see you at a church praising his resurection than showing off your new 3 piece armani.

Uh, Crazy, you could spring for a two piece Kirkland Brand from Costco or J.C. Penney for 99 bucks.

The point is that people used to make the effort to be their most dressy on Easter Sunday.

[hgro]

Easter is a day to embrace GOD, not merchants inticing people to buy their wares. Go to GOD in whatever dress suits you.

[threat matrix]

You mean like this?

[Cicero]

The only King I ever hope to meet will love me whether I wear a suit or a tanktop. I just wish He were here already.

If He catches you swimming, He'll expect the tank top. "No man knows the day nor the hour." But if you're paying Him a formal visit, a tanktop would be inappropriate.

[Old Professer]

When they remodeled LAX back in the 80s they put up photos from old files back to the 30s; almost all the men wore suits and hats except for work uniforms and the women wore skirts and dresses and their fair share of hats as well, even along Santa Monica beach and the pier.

[CindyDawg]

How did I miss this? :') Thanks

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Affluence happened.

When nobody could afford much of anything, dressing up was a big deal.

Now that even "poor" people have multiple color TVs with cable, a couple of cars and more food than they can eat without becoming hippopotami, dressing up is not a big deal.

[cyborg]

awww that's cute