In Our Easter Bonnets...

This Easter Sunday, as on Easter Sundays dating back to the 1800s, hundreds or maybe even thousands of New Yorkers will parade along Fifth Avenue, showing off their Easter Bonnets. The tradition started back when the poor folk would come out to watch the rich folk go to Easter church services-- the have nots wanted to see what the haves were sporting that year. Somehow, this all morphed into what is now a hilarious spectacle of an event, with participants in the informal parade trying to outdo one another with their ridiculously silly chapeaux. Irving Berlin even wrote a song about the parade, back in the 1930's, with lyrics that included:

In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter parade
On the Avenue
Fifth Avenue
The photographers will snap us
And you'll find that you're
In the rotogravure
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter parade


Okay, so that's NY. But what about Texas? Do any of y'all remember when Easter bonnets were still a big deal? I can't remember a specific Easter bonnet myself, though I'm sure I had them over the years. And I do remember that if we forgot to bring a veil to Mass when I was little, we had to bobby-pin a tissue to our heads. Any other tissue-heads out there recall this church ritual?

[Suzanne]

Suzanne found this picture of herself sporting an Easter bonnet back in the day. Which got us talking about the evolution...uh... or is that demise of Le Hat de Springtime. Allow me to illustrate this point with the following offerings from our brave comrades over at HCW, unafraid to reveal their questionable holiday headgear:


[Jordi]



[Kourtney center, Kathy bottom]

What about y'all? Have any good Easter bonnet pics you're willing to share? Email them to me at spikegillespie@gmail.com and I'll post them here.

Also, speaking of Easter-- this year Easter falls on what is also perhaps better known at HCW as SECOND SUNDAY, the Sunday we typically gather to knit and knosh. This Sunday we'll be closed, so we'll have Second Sunday the following week, on Third Sunday. More info on that soon. Until then, Hoppy Easter (and Passover!)
spike