The Reason Why Southern Moms Always Buy This Item At Easter Time

After the long winter months, spring can be seen as a welcome relief. Alongside the better weather, people also get to spend a bit of time with their families over Easter, which includes the traditional Sunday service. And as we’ve already touched upon, those in the South take Easter mass very seriously, especially when it comes to their clothes.

If you hail from a southern state, you might remember being dressed up in colorful dresses, ranging in style from so-called “puffy” outfits to more flexible frocks. These dresses usually have a traditionally feminine design, and are covered with frills, lace, and even bows. As for the boys, they’d be decked out in a plain white shirt and trousers ahead of the service.

Unsurprisingly, these traditions were ingrained in a lot of people while they grew up, meaning some still follow them today as adults. But why do southern residents feel the irrepressible need to dress their best for Easter? Like we suggested earlier, the idea first came to light many centuries ago.

It's always been a bit harder to plan for Easter celebrations since, unlike Christmas, the holiday doesn’t have a fixed date in the calendar, so it changes every year. In any case, the festivities begin on Good Friday, which is recognized as a public holiday in many countries across the globe. So too is Easter Sunday and Easter Monday... just not in the U.S.

You see, only 12 states treat Good Friday as a holiday, while Easter Monday isn’t celebrated at all in America. Unlike the U.K., the U.S. doesn't have a national religion, so very few religious holidays become nationally-recognized holidays. Despite this, Easter Sunday is still a very special date in certain parts of the country, especially the South. And if you grew up there, then you undoubtedly have witnessed the region's customs on Easter.

To explain more, a writer named Michelle Darrisaw spoke about a few of the traditions in an article for Southern Living magazine. As it turns out, dressing up for Easter isn’t the only thing that southerners do to mark the occasion. According to Darrisaw, Easter eggs play a big role in the celebrations, just as they do in mainland Europe.

Although many families across the country have Easter egg hunts, the South's version is often much more regimented. “After church, there’s usually the highly-anticipated Easter egg hunt before the big family dinner," Darrisaw explained. "There are two rules we typically abide by when it comes to the egg portion of the celebration." If you didn't think it mattered when and where the Easter eggs were dyed and hidden, then think again.

"First, according to religious lore, always dye the eggs on Good Friday," Darrisaw said. "Second, hide only the candy-filled plastic eggs on Easter Sunday, preferably at grandma’s house.” Why can't we hide the eggs wherever we want? And how come we should only dye the eggs on Good Friday and not, say, the day before Easter Sunday?

With these questions in mind, you're probably wondering what the connection is between Easter and eggs. For the longest time, the latter has been looked upon as a “symbol” of sorts that ties into the creation of new life. This makes sense, but the religious reason has less to do with life — at least, not yet — and more to do with death.

In the eyes of Christians, an Easter egg personifies Jesus Christ’s empty tomb after he was resurrected from the dead. Furthermore, the actual practice of painting and decorating an egg first started back in the 1200s. During that time, you see, it’s believed that the food item was off-limits for those who followed Lent.

Otherwise known as the Lenten season, this is a six-week period where people are encouraged to give up certain luxuries or indulgences prior to Easter. So for those who would cut back on food in the past, eggs would be avoided. On that note, the fasters would subsequently paint the shells to symbolize Lent’s conclusion, knowing they could finally consume them again.

“Holidays give us the perfect excuse for eating, entertaining, and feeding a crowd,” Darrisaw wrote in Southern Living. “The three things we love most here in the South (besides porch sitting). While hot cross buns are typically served on Good Friday, we reserve the good stuff for the feast on Sunday.”

And Darrisaw continued, “[The feast] usually includes glazed ham, potato salad, and sugar-laden sweet tea or lemonade. And every true southerner knows it’s not a real Easter dinner unless there’s a relish tray being passed around full of delicious deviled eggs.” Although that sounds lovely, you might be asking yourself a simple question regarding the meat.

Because in numerous countries across the globe, lamb is often considered to be the traditional Easter dish. And the custom originated from the Passover celebration, as those who practiced Judaism chose to consume the meat during the festivities. But after a select few became Christians, the meal subsequently carried over into Easter. The dish became particularly popular in the U.S. during World War II because sheep’s wool was a must-have material.

But once the conflict ended, the clamor over wool dried up, and so did the availability of lamb for Easter. Undeterred, people soon found a worthy substitute in the form of ham. Not only was the meat a lot cheaper, but it was in perfect condition after being smoked over the winter as well. Dinner aside, there’s one more custom that a lot of southerners are familiar with every year.

The fashion! As we mentioned earlier, Easter fashion is in a class of its own due to its unique significance on that particular holiday. Yes, dressing up for Easter has been a tradition for a while now, but what prompted it? Much like some of the previous traditions that we’ve discussed, you can trace the habit back to the distant past... but not to a church, as you may expect.

Instead, the tradition likely originated from someone else entirely: pagans. These worshippers would mark the start of springtime with a massive get-together, where they hailed the spring goddess Ostera. As they enjoyed the festivities, the congregation made sure to dress themselves in brand-new garments, too. In their mind, that simple move would grant them good luck.

Once Christians decided to start celebrating their own version of Easter — which some people prefer to call "Resurrection Day" even now — they also created their own traditions. Since the color white symbolized purity and holiness, "new" Christians would often don white robes on religious holidays. And over time, the tradition changed again and again.

The idea behind wearing new garments during the Easter holiday most likely sprung up under the Romans. In fact, one of the emperors of that time made sure that his people were decked out in the latest outfits whenever Easter came around. And centuries on from that period, the springtime tradition was mentioned in a very famous stage play.

Yes, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet brought up the idea of an “Easter suit,” suggesting that the custom had survived the test of time. But while these different cultures all had similar ideas about wearing new clothes at the turn of spring, America was a little late to the party. If you’re wondering why, there’s a pretty good reason.

Well, prior to the Civil War, the United States didn’t recognize Easter as an important celebration in the calendar. This was due to the rulings of both the respective Protestant and Puritanical churches. Once the conflict concluded, though, the two religious bodies hoped that the springtime holiday would raise people's spirits.

And when it comes to raising people's spirits, the power of a new dress or new suit can't be denied. For women in particular, the chance to cast aside everyday frocks in favor of a new, fancy dress was an exciting prospect... unless, of course, you hated wearing dresses, and preferred overalls or pants. In this way, brightly colored Easter dresses probably weren't every woman's cup of tea.

But for those who did love wearing fancy dresses, Easter was the perfect opportunity not only to dress up, but to stand out in front of the entire community at church. And although Easter dresses were meant to be connected to the Resurrection, over time, they become less about impressing God and more about impressing neighbors.

With that in mind, what kind of outfits are deemed to be appropriate nowadays for Easter celebrations in the States? To help answer that question, an etiquette specialist named Lizzie Post shared some of her expertise with the Country Living website. She focused on women in particular, since Easter fashion for women has changed the most.

“[It] really depends on your church and your community,” Post explained to the site in March 2020. “Church used to be a place that had stricter standards for clothing and attire. Now, I think most churches are trying to be more encouraging and prioritizing participation over attire.”

As Post went on to explain, “For the most part, people are looking to avoid jeans and t-shirts and go a step up from that [at the Easter service]. Whether that’s khakis and a polo shirt, a really nice dress – it kind of varies by community and service.” On that note, Darrisaw offered her perspective as a southerner in her article.

Much like countless others across America’s southern states, Darrisaw experienced Easter in a rather unique way as a child. Yes, the writer recalled that she would often be dressed in a brand new set of clothes for the holiday, with her mom leading the charge. But in the end, she wasn’t too fond of the results.

Darrisaw wrote in Southern Living, “Growing up, it was a big deal to go shopping for an Easter Sunday outfit. Like most young girls, I wore lace and ruffles every Easter. And by the end of church service, I’d already have tons of scratches on my arms and legs from those God-awful itchy and puffy dresses.”

Although dressing up for Easter by wearing pastel-colored dresses, white tights, and wide-brimmed hats was popular for little girls throughout the '50s and '60s, it slowly lost popularity as fashion became more informal. These days, you're more likely to see a woman wearing a simple light-colored dress and sensible shoes than a dress with ruffles, lace, and all the fixings.

Although Easter fashion has become more informal for woman, the same can't always be said the younger generations. It's still common for little girls and boys to don ruffled pastel dresses and light-colored suits on Easter, especially down South, but the reason for this may be connected more to sentimentality than status or religion. A few women said as much in an interview with Southern Living.

The women discussed how their Easter fashion has changed over the years, and during those conversations in April 2019, the ladies provided an even clearer picture of what this particular tradition is like. To begin with, one individual cast her mind back to an important moment from her childhood.

The woman named Sherry said, “All of my Easter dresses were handmade by my great-aunt, but when I was ten, [my] mother let me pick out a fancy dress in a Birmingham children’s store. It was made of sheer fabric in sea-foam green with a matching slip. The dress had some embroidery on it, and three-quarter puff sleeves.”

“I have never known why my mom bought that for me,” Sherry added. “But I had a girly dress and wore it every chance I had. Thanks mother!” And some of the other women spoke about their outfits in more detail, with one noting that she was given a “sailor hat” to wear. Yep, hats are just as important on Easter Sunday as dresses!

All these bells and whistles may sound antiquated, but these southerners claimed that the tradition is still alive and well. One woman touched upon her role as a mom now, revealing that she was carrying the tradition on with her children. And even as styles change, some little girls will always be drawn to that classically-feminine Easter look...

The mother, named Katie, recalled, “I recently took my daughter, Elizabeth Kate, dress shopping for Easter finery for the first time. She initially picked out a gold (fully sequined) number that would outshine the resurrection celebration. Thankfully she moved on to a more tasteful peach-and-white dress, complete with a hat, of course.”

Speaking of peach and white dresses, what kind of styles are expected on Easter nowadays? According to Women's Day, some things never change when it comes to women and girls' fashion on the big day. "Think: white, creams, nudes, and pastels," the magazine reported. If those color schemes feel a little muted, it's because they are — and for good reason.

In today's modern world, women no longer need to be characterized by frills and lace and pinks and purples. Instead, Women's Day suggests a look that embraces change and functionality. "You can incorporate this color palette into your Easter Sunday outfit with dresses, skirts, beautiful blouses, bright trousers, and fun accessories." So if dresses and skirts aren't your style, trousers are also perfectly acceptable.

Plus, there are simple ways to balance out modern-day looks with more classic, Church-appropriate styles. "If you're showing a lot of shoulder, add a cardigan or go with a midi or maxi length for your dress," Women's Day suggests. That way, your Easter outfits can go from Church to brunch to the egg-hunt seamlessly, and with as little discomfort as possible.

And for those who aren't into dresses, Women's Day says that you can still look Easter-chic. "Wear a bold print or jumpsuit if you want to do something to stand out," they offer. Or you can "try pastel-colored pants that are on the dressier side with a white blouse or sweater," that way you're prepared for the unpredictable weather that April is known for.

Even white denim, floral tops, and pastel linen pants are great Easter choices for the modern woman. These are all a far cry from the white robes and pink puffy frocks of yesteryear! But just because times and fashions change doesn't mean the spirit of the holiday has to change, too. Whether you're wearing a ballgown or sweats, the Easter holiday is the perfect time to reunite with family and enjoy the warmth of early Spring.