JENNR8R

My daughter-in-law is from Hungary, and I asked her how she celebrated when she was growing up. I thought her response was very interesting:

"My grandma always went to church on Easter. My parents didn't continue that tradition. We always had egg hunt and lots of food. Also, there is a Hungarian tradition where the boys and men come to visit the girls and women. They ask permission to water them because they are like flowers that need water to blossom. And then they put a few drops of cologne on their heads. (100 years ago it was a bucket of ice cold water, but that tradition luckily isn't alive very much anymore.) In exchange the girls and women give Easter eggs (nowadays money)."

Anniedeb

As a child growing up in a household of 8 kids, we never had much extra. Easter, however, was special. We were Catholic, so Easter was much more religious with less emphasis on the easter bunny. Easter meant a special dress made by mom, and some variation of an easter bonnet that she also decorated. We would have one large easter basket appear on the dining room table that was shared by everyone. After Mass, there was always a huge family dinner, usually at grandma and grandpa's house.

This past Holy Thursday I attended a Celebration of Life for a Cousin who I grew up with. We all spent time reminiscing about the gatherings of our youth, and talking about holidays spent together. There were even some pictures of some of us in our Easter finery!

WMUTeach

Good Friday services at Church, sunrise service on Easter morning then church at 10:00AM. Baskets with candy eggs and a real duckling that was stuffed. Weird now to think about, but I loved my ducklings. We always had ham that came in a can. My mom decorated it with pineapple rings on the top and pierced the ham with cloves. She always made a jello ring with pineapple, maraschino cherries and little cream cheese balls rolled in nuts buried in the lemon jello. While dinner was cooking there was lots of silliness and giggling trying to keep my father out of my Easter basket. He would steal all of the black jelly beans from me and my brother. Nothing else just the black ones. It was OK, I didn't like them anyway. Since his death, my brother and I will toast his memory with black jelly beans each Easter and make sure to tell the story to any one who will listen about why we click jelly beans and giggle and hug. Oh, yes, I always had a new dress for Easter, often white gloves and new white socks. The things I remember! New socks! Tee-Hee-Hee.

Fizzle

Easter baskets hidden inside house for my sisters and I to find. Real eggs we had dyed hidden in the yard. We always wore an Easter dress and sandals. A white sweater if chilly. I don’t remember what our meal was but we were traditional with that so must have been a ham. Scalloped potatoes. Jello. We also were not religious and not very well off but mom always made sure we had what she considered important. I always put my daughter in a new dress and white sweater!
Had the kids and grands over. Not all the females wore dresses. We hid the filled plastic eggs outside for them. Did have ham but also crepes. We always do breakfast/brunch with our gang. I love traditions! It’s harder as i lose my desire to do as much work. But i am sad if i dont!!!
Times change.

eparys

This thread makes me smile

As a child there was always a "new" dress (that might be a hand me down re fitted for me from my sis or newly made by my Mom). After Church there was (if it was good weather) a trip to the park for pictures near the flower beds and then a family dinner in the dining room with a fancy white table cloth and my Mom best plates. My fondest memory of all was canned Fruit Cocktail that she spruced up served in a little dish with orange sherbet on top!! Made me feel SO grownup!!

toverly

New dress, white patent leather shoes, gloves and sometimes a hat.

SueZQ from MN

When I was younger, we always spent Easter with my cousins in SD so we would drive 100 miles to get there on Thurs.after school. Because we would have to leave for home shortly after church on Sun, we always had our Easter dinner on Fri. evening. My mother was a beautiful seamstress, so every year I had a wonderful new spring dress, and many times had a matching coat. My mom and aunt always had a lavish new Easter hat. haha It was a tradition to have our picture taken on their front steps before we went to church. Our Easter baskets always had cream eggs and marshmallow and caramel bunnies from the Fanny Farmer candy store, except for the one cousin that liked choc. covered cherries. By the time I was in jr. high my cousins had moved to Colorado so we stayed home. Our Luther League served an annual sunrise breakfast between services and then we'd have a family dinner at noon with all the local relatives coming to my parent's home. The afternoon into the evening was spent with everyone playing cards. Those were good times with great memories.

tranum

Grandparents went to church, sometimes we did too. A good meal with them and extended family. Sometimes cupcakes with a coconut nest and jelly bean eggs on top. Eggs were dyed on Saturday and Mom would hide them but not outside. Certainly no candy (except jelly beans) or gifts like kids get today. Black jelly beans were my Dad’s favorite so he got them all since nobody else wanted them.

Pam S

Oh, the hats. My sister and I had little white straw hats with a couple of white flowers on them and ribbons down the back. We got to wear them to church on Easter and then Mom would put them back in a box in her closet till next year. Every year we would argue over whose hat was whose (they were slightly different). This was early 60s and I think we wore them all through elementary school. I wonder what became of the hats.