When I was little my mom always made me a brand new dress for Easter Sunday. But she never made me wear an Easter bonnet. Looking back, I realize that the Easter bonnet was a big deal for some people; but not for others. But my mom was never really a hat person, whether or not it was a holiday. It didn't matter to me if I didn't have a hat because I was happy to have a new dress. These days I don't see very many people carrying on the tradition of Easter bonnets. At least not in the USA. I'm not sure why that is. In fact, I don't know when this tradition started and I don't know when or why it stopped. So I did a little research and here's what I discovered.
Fun Facts and Traditions
~ The Easter bonnet is a European tradition. It came from the tradition of women wearing flowers to celebrate spring.
~ It wasn't until after the Civil War in the USA, that the bonnet tradition was adopted. “The first Easter after the war ended was known as the “Sunday of Joy.” Mothers, wives, and daughters came out of mourning and replaced their dark clothing with outfits full of pastel colors and spring flowers, to again signal a renewal of life. In the 1870s, the first Easter Parade in New York City occurred.”
~ Although the tradition began in the 1800s, it really did not become popular until around the 1940s. It seems that old movie “Easter Parade”, starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, helped to popularize these customs. But the traditions did not last very long because the country went through The Great Depression. An Easter bonnet was considered lavish as well as unaffordable. By the 1950s, few people cared about carrying on this tradition.
** That's interesting because … whether there was a depression or even a war or any kind of disaster or catastrophe, people made it a point to celebrate Christmas.
(That's just a side comment.)
Anyway! My question is:
~ Do you (or your daughters or granddaughters) wear an Easter bonnet?
Don't get me wrong, I like hats. But if you see me wearing one, I'm probably just trying to cover up a “bad hair day”. LOL. 😃 😃
Fun Facts and Traditions
~ The Easter bonnet is a European tradition. It came from the tradition of women wearing flowers to celebrate spring.
~ It wasn't until after the Civil War in the USA, that the bonnet tradition was adopted. “The first Easter after the war ended was known as the “Sunday of Joy.” Mothers, wives, and daughters came out of mourning and replaced their dark clothing with outfits full of pastel colors and spring flowers, to again signal a renewal of life. In the 1870s, the first Easter Parade in New York City occurred.”
~ Although the tradition began in the 1800s, it really did not become popular until around the 1940s. It seems that old movie “Easter Parade”, starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, helped to popularize these customs. But the traditions did not last very long because the country went through The Great Depression. An Easter bonnet was considered lavish as well as unaffordable. By the 1950s, few people cared about carrying on this tradition.
** That's interesting because … whether there was a depression or even a war or any kind of disaster or catastrophe, people made it a point to celebrate Christmas.
(That's just a side comment.)
Anyway! My question is:
~ Do you (or your daughters or granddaughters) wear an Easter bonnet?
Don't get me wrong, I like hats. But if you see me wearing one, I'm probably just trying to cover up a “bad hair day”. LOL. 😃 😃
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