The tradition of an annual Easter parade began in New York City in the mid-1800s when Society’s upper crust attended Easter services at various Fifth Avenue churches. After the service, they strolled along the avenue showing off their fashionable new dresses and hats hoping to make an impression upon the onlookers.

Strictly an American cultural event, a more formal procession began in the 1870s. By the 1880s, the Easter parade was marked on the calendar and heavily promoted by local milliners and dry goods merchants. The 1947 New York Easter parade drew over a million people according to estimates. Over the years, the parade has declined in popularity with an estimated attendance of 30,000 in 2008.

The first parade

According to Christian culture, the first procession related to Easter was on what is now known as Palm Sunday, when Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem. Along the way, many people cheered and welcomed him as he rode into the city on a donkey. The second procession occurred when Jesus was carried to the cross on Mount Calvary. These two processions predate the modern Easter parade, although the original intent was certainly not to show off one’s finery.

For centuries, Christians in Eastern Europe gathered before, and often after, Easter church services to solemnly walk to church and then retrace their steps afterward as they sang songs of praise. Those who participated wore their finest clothing as a sign of respect.

The necessity of wearing new clothes for Easter is a deeply rooted custom in Europe. All sacred occasions called for special outfits for both the common people and the priests. Everyone wore their “Sunday best” to attend Easter services.

Not without critics

The wearing of such finery was not without criticism. Many critics were concerned about the vaunting of one’s personal possessions, especially in times of hardship such as the Great Depression. Those times of hardship did not stop the annual parade down Fifth Avenue so highly enjoyed by those of the Upper Crust of New York.

The popularity of the Easter Parade led Irving Berlin, an American songwriter, to write his song Easter Parade for the Broadway musical revue As Thousands Cheer. Written in 1933, the song became a standard and fifteen years later was the basis for the film of the same name.

By the mid-1940s the parade was no longer based on religious beliefs but a statement of affluence now enjoyed in the United States. Over the years a number of other cities began their own version of the Easter Parade, including Philadelphia, Boston, Coney Island, and Atlantic City. More recent cities included Richmond, Virginia, New Orleans, and Toronto.

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