Celebrating the Easter Holiday: several decades ago and today

Spectrum
Maturity
Terri Andersen
Senior Moments
Friday, April 2, 2004
Easter in the 1950s and 1960s was probably a department store owner's delight (second only to the boom in business at Christmas time). The big question women asked each other at that time was: “What are you wearing for Easter?” There was even an Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City in which people could strut their Easter finery. - (Strange, isn't it, that the two most religious holidays of the year became diverted to something other than pure worship?) While people were aware of the 40 days of Lent and Easter services at church, it seems their biggest concern for Easter Sunday was what they would wear. In those days, hats were big (the bigger, the better, and there were actually numerous stores that sold only hats). Finding the perfect hat took much of a woman's shopping time, in addition to shoes and purse that had to match, plus the right outfit (usually a dress or suit with a skirt) and a pair of gloves. I remember searching for just the right shade of gloves to match the blouse I was going to wear. My friends all spent much of their time searching for Easter finery, too. My husband took a home-movie of me and our 2-year old son in the late 1950s, strolling in the park after church.  There I am in red high heels, holding on to my big red straw picture hat so the wind wouldn't blow it off, trying to keep the stroller from rolling away and our 2-year old son from chasing after two cute little dogs who were out for a romp in the park. It didn't help that the straight skirt of my pretty gray suit wasn't exactly made for chasing children or dogs. The skirt had an inset of little pleats at the bottom of the back, supposedly to make leg movement unrestricted, but big strides were definitely out. Today those pleats would be replaced with a slit halfway up the skirt for that purpose — not quite as discreet, I must say. I might mention that our 2-year old son was dressed in a light blue long pants suit, a little white dress shirt and a light blue bow tie. On his feet were white dress shoes. (Sneakers would have been scandalous on Easter Sunday.) As for my husband, he wore what all men wore on Sundays—a standard suit, white shirt and tie. (Men have it so easy.) Today, a few people still "dress up” for Easter. There always seem to be little girls in adorable Easter dresses and Mary Jane shoes, and little boys with their hair combed neatly. But on the whole, its more a"business as usual” 21st century day. While it was nice to see people all dressed up for Easter in the old days, it was a shame to see the hustle and bustle of what to wear take precedence over what the season was all about — namely, to give some thought to the condition of our souls and celebrate the glory of the resurrection.
This year, Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" movie motivated a lot of people to give some thought to what Easter is all about, and I think that's a step in the right direction.
Terri Andersen is a New Milford resident.