By Sally Anne Sessitte
Southerners have dedicated celebrations and traditions for every season, but there is just something about Easter. This is a holiday that checks all the boxes: handmade lace and smocked clothing, monogrammed linen napkins, outdoor dining, tricky recipes, pastel-colored clothing, knee socks on all kids under the age of 10, mandatory flower arrangements, church with the family, socially acceptable day drinking, new sandals. Easter is the Southern mom’s Super Bowl.
As Southerners, we do truly believe we invented Easter. Here’s a list to get you thinking about Southern Easter traditions, both new and old. Write me and tell me about yours — I want to know any good ones I may have missed!
1. Church Egg Hunt. Is it at a convenient time or location? Absolutely not. Is it held in a muddy field that will ruin the kids’ white knee socks and smocked bubbles? Absolutely. Are the candies fully melted? Also yes. Will the church pull out a matted 10-year-old bunny suit that looks like a horror movie discard and give all the kids PTSD? Yup.
Would you ever dream of missing this pinnacle event? Absolutely not.
The church egg hunt is a must-attend event of the year. In some places, this is a fashion event, with moms in head-to-toe Chanel, Manolo heels sinking deep into the sod as they smile for pictures and try to keep humidity from ruining their blowouts and little chocolatey hands from ruining their outfits. We see you Buckhead/Brookhaven.
In some places, the attire may be more casual, with the church grandmothers in capri pants and sensible sandals running the show. Don’t be fooled. Those grandmothers are anything but casual about the heirloom recipes they’ve dusted off for deviled eggs, blonde brownies, and pineapple casseroles.
Whether casual or fashion-forward, this event is a Southern mandate because it is about the things we value the most. Community, family, and kids. We will be glad that you came, even if you had a hard week, forgot your potluck dish at home, and the kids are wearing the same outfits from last year. Honey, that’s why we call them heirloom dresses, they are supposed to get a lot of use. If you are lucky enough to be Southern, get yourself to the church egg hunt — whether you have a new outfit or not — you will be glad you did.
2. Offering Egg. It can be hard to explain complicated concepts to kids. The resurrection of our Savior, the rules of monograms for double names, what “dressy casual” really means … The offering egg is a way to help kids see what Easter is really about. With this tradition, money is put into a plastic egg in the child’s Easter basket, and the child then brings that money to church to put in the offering. This sounds like a good way to start a discussion about balancing life’s celebrations and life’s duties. If your child has a little fit in church when it’s time to hand over the cash, please don’t worry about it. Church will be so crowded with exhausted kids and frazzled parents, no one will even blink an eye. Also, let’s remember that church behavior is like vacation drinking: never discussed after the fact.
3. Bunny Cake. The bunny cake is like any other tradition in the South. It’s consistently required, but you are encouraged to make it your own. You can absolutely get the pastry chef at the club to make it. If you have the patience to handle the clean-up of the shredded coconut, you can also let your 7-year-old make it. It can look like a work of art or a lumpy mess — the point is that the kids and husbands will be delighted, and dessert is handled.
4. The Easter Nap. Southerners may spend the whole afternoon in their finest. Southerners may also skip the brunch and rip off the church clothes for camo and four-wheeler gear. Southerners do not, however, skip the Easter nap. This is a — forgive the expression — sacred tradition. After you’ve dyed the eggs, hosted the things, blessed the food, loved the people, held the babies, it is time to find a quiet corner and hunker down. The clean-up can wait, and you know you don’t have to make dinner because there are tons of leftovers.
Knowing the importance of slowing down is part of the Southern wisdom that’s just baked in. It is chaotic, but when you slow down, you see that it is also a whole lot of community, which is kind of the point.
Sally Anne welcomes comments and ideas by email at SallyAnne@magnoliaandmoonshine.com
