Welcome back, Lentketeers!  Instead of plumbing the depths of hagiographies, papal flair, or social media, we're going around the world on a 40 day tour. Put your rosaries in an upright and locked position for...

Lentorama 2019: Resurrect My Globe!

The idea is that each day I'll look at an Easter tradition specific to one country (though I reserve the right to be less specific or repeat countries as needed). And to kick things off I'm flying domestic.

Day 1: United States of America

There are several traditions one could point to in the US - Mardi Gras in New Orleans being the most prominent example - but I'm going to go with the Easter parade.

In the second half of the 19th century, churches in the US took more care to decorate for holidays. For Easter, this meant large displays of springtime flowers and plants. As these became more lavish, the trend spread to department stores, and eventually to the congregants themselves. While dressing up for church wasn't a new idea, taking the time to stroll and be seen was.

Not surprisingly, the practice centered on New York. Starting in the 1870s, newspapers would comment about the crowds on Fifth Avenue, taking time to see and be seen before and after the church service of their choice. The annual event became well known, to the point where Irving Berlin wrote a musical film called Easter Parade. And while it may be less of a draw nowadays, people are still making the stroll to show off their threads.

For a more in-depth look at the Easter parade and its meaning, check out Leigh Eric Schmidt's article "The Easter Parade: Piety, Fashion, and Display" from the summer 1994 issue of Religion and American Culture.