12 Nostalgic Easter Traditions That Never Go Out of Style
Some of these traditions date centuries!
Of all the holidays celebrated throughout the year, Easter is perhaps the one most rooted in symbolism and tradition. For followers of Christian faiths, Easter Sunday is the most important day of the year and gathering with friends and family to attend a church service—followed by a family meal, of course—is often at the center of the celebration. But the day has also become an important holiday around the world to mark the beginning of spring and its sense of renewal.
Over the centuries both spiritual and secular ways to celebrate the Easter holiday have become time-honored and passed-down traditions—from what we wear to what we eat. In this collection of nostalgic photos, you’ll find some popular ways to celebrate the Easter holiday that have truly stood the test of time. Plus, you’ll learn a little behind the stories of how these traditions came to be. While dyeing eggs and filling Easter baskets are likely already a part of your own traditions, you might be surprised to learn of something new to try this year.
For More Ways to Celebrate the Easter Holiday:
Open Easter Baskets
Some have memories of waking up with wonderment on Easter morning. That’s thanks to some great Easter basket ideas that a certain bunny filled with candy and a whole lot more.
RELATED: Easy Ways to Transform a Plain Basket into an Fun Easter Basket in Minutes
Attend an Easter Parade
Plenty of towns still put on an annual Easter parade, and it’s tons of fun for attendees old and young.
Wear an Easter Bonnet...
... with all the frills upon it! Whether attending a church service, an Easter parade, or a celebratory family brunch, the whole family has to look sharp on Easter Sunday. For many, that means an extra-special Easter hat. As the 1933 Irving Berlin song goes: “You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.”
Dye Easter Eggs
There’s a reason we’re still dyeing Easter eggs today: Our predecessors passed down the fun activity at Easter time. (In fact, many historians believe that the origins of the Easter egg pre-date the Crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans 2,000 years ago!) Just look at this young woman busy at work decorating eggs in this old photograph (and peep at the chick on her shoulder!).
Put your own twist on this tradition with these cute Easter egg decorating ideas. (No time or desire to spend money on real hard-boiled eggs? No problem! Papier-mâché, wooden, or foam eggs work beautifully, too!)
RELATED: The History of Easter Eggs is Filled with Surprises
Hunt for Easter Eggs
Again, some things never change, although today’s eggs hunts involve many more plastic eggs filled with candy than actual eggs. Here, children in the United States scour their living room in the early 1900s.
RELATED: Fun Easter Egg Hunt Ideas That Will Make for an Eggscellent Time
Bake a Cake
When families gather around the Easter brunch table, it’s usually to a feast of traditional Easter dishes like ham or lamb, deviled eggs, and carrots. But there is one other non-negotiable Easter tradition. There should always be Easter cake. And if your grandma is anything like ours, her Easter dessert is usually carrot-flavored in honor of the bunny.
Display Easter Lilies
Symbolic of purity and hope, Easter lilies are steeped in meaning in cultures around the world. The flowers are believed to have sprouted where Christ’s blood and tears fell during crucifixion, as well as in the Garden of Gethsemane after his betrayal.
RELATED: Follow These Tips to Keep Your Easter Lily Looking Beautiful
Eat Hollow Chocolate Bunnies
One of the most popular Easter candies, the tradition of chocolate eggs at Easter goes all the way back to the 1800s. But have you ever wondered why the other Easter candy staple—the chocolate bunny—usually has an empty filling?
According to one of the oldest chocolate bunny confectionaries, R.M. Palmer, there’s a surprising method to the madness: dental health. “If you had a larger-size bunny and it was solid chocolate, it would be like a brick; you’d be breaking teeth,” Mark Schlott, executive vice president of operations, explained to Smithsonian.
Fly Kites
This Good Friday tradition initially gained traction in Bermuda, where it’s believed that a local schoolteacher used a kite to demonstrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven for his students. Since then, Bermudians have flocked to Horseshoe Bay Beach for the annual Good Friday Kite Festival.
Pin On an Easter Corsage
While it’s not practiced as much an more, for many years it was custom for women to wear floral corsages on Easter, typically given to them by their children or husbands as a sign of love. Here, Humphrey Bogart presents the floral accessory to Lauren Bacall (albeit not on Easter, in this instance!).
Make Hot Cross Buns
Adorned with icing “crosses” as a religious reminder, this traditional Easter treat has been made and enjoyed on Good Friday or Easter Sunday for decades.
Play Old Easter Games
Easter egg hunts aren’t the only games to play on Easter. Back in the day, parents swapped Easter eggs for marbles, as the young English boys are doing here, or played “Tap the Egg” while seated around the dinner table. Also known as “egg-knocking” or “egg-tapping,” the traditional Easter game involves tapping your hard-boiled egg against other players’ in an attempt to break theirs but keep yours intact.
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