Unlike “those people who do not know they do not know,” I have  long recognized that I do not know a lot.  So, I constantly consult dictionaries, encyclopedias, experts, Google, etc. I strongly recommend that others do the same. When I Googled Easter, I became more aware  of the link  between Easter and Passover.

Since Easter (Pasche) and Passover occur in a few days, I decided  to write a bit about my Easter experience.

A week or so before Easter, a lot of effort and time went into buying new outfits and hats to wear to church on Easter Sunday. My  family lived in a small town with only a couple of clothing stores. People drove to neighboring towns that offered more clothing stores. Easter Sunday demanded/encouraged women to wear hats (“bonnets”).

“In your Easter bonnet

With all the frills upon it

You’ll be the grandest lady

In the Easter Parade…”
(Easter Parade lyrics by Irving Berlin)

One had to get to church early in order to get a seat on Easter Sunday.  When I arrived at church as a teenager, I faced a girlfriend wearing the same dress I wore.  We had both shopped locally where choices were limited. 

I can still see the expession of disappointment and sadness that crept over her face. But…we were good friends and decided that our choice of the same dress showed that we both had good taste.

I doubt that new outfits for Easter will ever disappear. New outfits may represent new hope.

HAPPY EASTER AND

HAPPY PASSOVER

Peggy Tarr has been a columnist for the Evanston RoundTable since its founding in 1998. Born in Bruce Springsteen's hometown of Freehold, New Jersey, she graduated from Rutgers University with a degree...