American Easter Practices

From the French Quarter to the White House, Easter is an all-American party

You can’t mention Easter celebrations in the United States without talking about Mardi Gras in New Orleans. New Orleans was founded on a vivid and diverse collection of people, from Native Americans banished from their homelands to Africans extricated from theirs, to Acadians escaping from northern territories. What the people had in common was a need to express their personality and to celebrate the life energy they were able to cling to.

This spirit culminated in Carnival, a celebration involving numerous parades and parties taking place from the end of Christmas until Mardi Gras “(French for Fat Tuesday)”, the day before the fast and abstinence of lent would begin. Even Hurricane Katrina and the devastating flood left in its wake could not stop the soulful people of New Orleans from continuing to rejoice in their Carnival.

The Easter Parade has evolved from the leisurely stroll down 5th Avenue after Easter Sunday mass of the 1800s, to a grand affair joined by thousands of people and pets all over the United States. The first parades were a way for the upper classes to show off new formal Easter attire and fancy Easter bonnets. Irvine Berlin immortalized the New York event in the song Easter Parade in 1933. Nowadays, Easter Parades are held all over the United States in many forms. The Easter Parade is Richmond, VA’s favorite spring celebration, New Orleans holds an annual Gay Easter Parade, and Long Beach, California is the site of the yearly Haute-dog Easter Parade.

Even the White House joins in on the fun of Easter! The egg roll is a tradition that began on Capitol Hill in Washington in or near the year 1872. At that time, Washington children were invited to Capitol Hill to celebrate the Easter season together on Easter Monday. Each kid would roll a hard-boiled egg down the hill, and hope that it went the furthest without breaking, making them the winner. Today, the annual Easter egg roll still takes place at the White House, but the game has changed - kids now roll their eggs across the lawn with giant mixing spoons, and the one who gets across the finish line first without breaking their egg is the winner. The Easter egg roll has been cancelled due to weather and at times of war.

A variety of Easter treats are popular in America too. These include chocolate Easter bunnies, jelly beans and marshmallow chicks called Peeps. The Easter lily, symbolizing purity, virtue, innocence, hope and life, adorns millions of American homes and institutions during the Easter season every year.