After what has felt like the wettest couple of months in history and struggling for something to write about other than the smell of wet dog, my editor at Vale Life Magazine suggested I might like to concentrate on the joys of Easter. He mentioned bunnies, egg hunts, and even…Easter bonnets.
Now my knowledge of Easter bonnets is pretty limited. There’s the Judy Garland classic film ‘Easter Parade’ where I think she wears some kind of nice hat and walks arm in arm with Fred Astair; and I’m vaguely aware that children are encouraged to paint papier mache eggs and stick them on top of straw hats alongside cute chicks (fake ones, obviously) and plastic flowers. That is where my knowledge ends.
It won’t surprise you to learn that I’m not really a ‘bonnet’ kinda girl, but in the pursuit of pleasing my editor, I decided to try and get on board. So…
The Easter bonnet, while having Christian roots, represents a long-standing tradition of wearing new clothes at Easter, in homage to the renewal of the year alongside Spring.
New clothes you say? A shopping trip in the offing? That might change things.
It was fixed in more modern culture by the song ‘Easter Parade’ by Irving Berlin with the lyrics ‘In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.’
A bit dated perhaps, but maybe if Harry Styles covered it…I could be interested.
The Easter Parade is held in New York City, which is a walkabout following the Sunday service. I’ve attended this once and it is a sight to behold. The hats are like something out of a sci fi film, and some people dress up their dogs and cats and even rabbits in Easter outfits, taking them out in prams.
It’s absolutely bonkers and quite fabulous.
So, maybe there is something to be said for the Easter bonnet. Perhaps we could set up an Easter Parade somewhere in the Vale and we could all perambulate arm in arm in our flashy new clothes and our extravagant hats while Harry Styles is projected onto a big screen to sing about easter egg hunts and bunnies.
No? Just me?
Oh well, keep your eye out for the crazy lady walking through Aylesbury on Easter Sunday wearing a straw hat covered with papier mache eggs and rubber chickens. I will definitely be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.
