Kristen: Easter Sunday

No, I did not plan on blogging.
Yes, I did it anyways.
Apparently just the thought of not having to work this week is making me restless. I have already made myself incredibly busy, so I though, why not add more?

So dear reader, forgive me. I wanted to do something about Easter. I took out all of my many books, searched my usual websites, even checked pinterest. Do you know what I found about Easter during the Civil War?

Almost nothing.

Christmas seemed to be the big holiday back then. I'm completely okay with that, since Christmas is an awesome holiday that needs to be celebrated completely. But what about Easter?! It turns out that Easter didn't really become popular until after the Civil War. Still, I had to find something! And then I did, via Elizabeth Aldridge on Facebook (thank you!). The FIDM Museum Blog is amazing, and I reccommend, that you check it out:

http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2013/03/sarah-elizabeth-crafts-easter-bonnet-1852.html

Credit FIDM Museum Library, 1852

Apparently, this bonnet was to be owned by a Ms. Sarah Elizabeth Craft. It is custom on Easter to wear something new, or you'd have bad luck for the rest of the year.

"At Easter let your clothes be new, or else be sure you will it rue." -Poor Robin

Aha! I have found an Easter tradition! And then I kept reading about Ms. Craft:

" Purchased as a Christmas present to be worn the following spring for Easter services, the gift was never opened, as Sarah died on the twentieth of December. After her death, Sarah's cherished possessions—her dolls, needlework, and letters—as well as this bonnet with its original bandbox, were packed into a small wooden trunk and placed in an attic, where they stayed until their discovery more than a century later."-FIDM Museum Library Blog, Rachel

Wow! I have found what I am looking for, but it's not what I intended. I imagine Sarah as a lively girl at 11 years old, always getting into trouble. She must have known that she would be receiving an Easter bonnet, and after her death, it was shoved away. Of course that preserved it nearly perfectly for our generation, but I can't help but being a little sad about this. She could not have known that her story would be told over a century later with the help of a bonnet she never wore.

Credit FIDM Museum blog

So with that, I leave you dear reader. Please go home and hug your children a little tighter, thank your parents for all that they do. I will be wearing a new orange shirt in honor of Sarah, and spending the day with my family.

 I will of course spill copious amounts of everything on it, but I do adore the color.

HAPPY EASTER!

This is the day the Lord has made;

Let all the earth rejoice!

~Kristen