New Clothes

New Clothes

The custom of wearing new clothes on Easter Sunday dates back to ancient times. Most commentators trace it back at least as far as the fourth century, when Easter became the most popular time of year for baptisms. The ritual of baptism introduces new members to full participation in the Christian faith. In ancient times candidates for baptism were expected to disrobe before undergoing the required immersion in water. Afterwards they put on new, white robes as a sign of their change in status. They wore these robes in church during the following week.

By the start of the Middle Ages, the custom of the Easter baptism was already fading. Yet the association of Easter with newness, and renewal, remained. It may have been strengthened by the fact that Easter falls during the spring season, the time when both plants and animals bring forth new life. Moreover the Easter festival itself celebrates the renewal of life in the face of death (see also Resurrection). Finally, in medieval times, some European countries observed New Year's Day on March 25 (see also Annunciation; Spring Equinox). Folklorists suspect that all these associations between Easter and newness encouraged the custom of wearing new clothes at Easter time.

Wearing new clothes at Easter eventually came to be seen not only as a religious custom and symbol, but also as a means of insuring good luck. An old Irish saying advises, "For Christmas, food and drink; for Easter, new clothes." Poor Robin's Almanac once warned, "At Easter let your clothes be new, or else be sure you will it rue." In Ireland some children wore crosses made of ribbons on their right arms, perhaps serving as a substitute for those who could not afford new garments. Italian folk custom dictated that if a man sent a woman a new pair of gloves for Easter it signified his desire to marry her. If the woman wore the gloves it signaled her intention to accept such an offer. An American superstition counseled that wearing three new items of clothing on Easter Sunday would attract good luck for the rest of the year.

In past times central Europeans not only showed off their finery in church, but also strolled about town and even into the countryside afterwards. Similar outings on Easter Monday, called Emmaus walks, may have inspired the American Easter parade.

Further Reading

Myers, Robert J. Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1972. Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Consumer Rites. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995. Weiser, Francis X. The Easter Book. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1954.

Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival, and Lent, 1st ed. © Omnigraphics, Inc. 2002