Vintage Chicago Tribune: Hippity, hoppity Easter traditions
Traditionally, the holiday has brought families together to enjoy a meal and maybe hunt for eggs. In Chicago, it has meant pairing an Easter dress and bonnet with a winter parka. Or, preparing a special dessert for the family dinner table.
Spring has sprung, the daffodils are in bloom.
This means the Easter bunny will be hopping along soon.
Traditionally, the holiday has brought families together to enjoy a meal and maybe hunt for eggs. In Chicago, it has meant pairing an Easter dress and bonnet with a winter parka. Or, preparing a special dessert for the dinner table using a cake mold that has been handed down for generations.
Here’s a look back at some of the customs that make the day unique to our city.
Mego: Easter an odd combo of traditions with roots in religion, history
Making a lamb cake — or jellied vegetable salad
A deep dive into the Tribune’s archives led to the discovery of easy, inexpensive retro recipes that are still crowd-pleasers — even if it’s just for comic relief. Here are three concoctions — one boozy, one crunchy and one jiggly. (Is a recipe truly retro if gelatin isn’t somehow incorporated?)
The history of dyeing Easter eggs and a few wacky ways to do it
Embracing warm weather — or snow
Since Easter doesn’t occur on the same date each year, the temperature and precipitation values can vary dramatically. Chicago experienced its warmest Easter on April 10, 1977, when the high temperature reached 85 degrees. A record snowfall of 7.1 inches fell at O’Hare International Airport on Easter in 1964 and was also the heaviest snowfall of that year.
Dressing up — like the Brennan family
Easter was a very special event in the Brennan household. It meant celebrating the holiday and spending time with the family and even a rare trip to a restaurant. It also meant dressing alike.
You see, for two decades starting in the late 1940s, Thomas Brennan, with help from wife Theresa, made the matching Easter outfits the family wore each year.
That meant a suit for Thomas and a dress for Theresa.
And dresses for their girls, Aine, Brigid, Rosaleen, Kathleen and Margaret.
And suits for the boys, Thomas Jr., Patrick, Michael, Brian, Sean and Seamus.
Yes, you counted correctly: 11 children.
Taking a trip to the salon — for a ‘big girl’ style
In 2006, Melayah Muhammad joined a long-standing Eastertime ritual in the African American community by which little girls who usually wear braids and ponytails get to wear their hair in straight and curly “big girl” styles for the very first time.
“I don’t know why we make such a big deal over this, but we do,” her mother said. “All the little girls will have their hair down, but you want them all to look unique and different. It makes the girls feel special and grown-up.”
Anticipating baseball’s return
Sometimes Major League Baseball’s season gets underway before Easter, sometimes after. Gates open at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday and Wrigley Field on Monday. From a memorable grand slam to early ivy, here are 10 memorable Chicago home openers — 5 for the Cubs and 5 for the White Sox.
Want more vintage Chicago?
- Become a Tribune subscriber: It’s just $12 for a 1-year digital subscription
- Follow us on Instagram: @vintagetribune
- And, catch me Monday mornings on WLS-AM’s “The Steve Cochran Show” for a look at “This week in Chicago history”
Thanks for reading!
Join our Chicagoland history Facebook group and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.
Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Ron Grossman and Marianne Mather at rgrossman@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com