Sonoma County Easter memories now and then

See what’s changed over the years - click through our gallery to see how Sonoma County residents celebrated Easter over time.|
JANET BALICKI WEBER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Easter Sunday brings fond memories for Sonoma County Catholics. Generations of families celebrate with Sunday mass, egg hunts, chocolate baskets and family feasts.

The traditions of Easter are filled with history and tradition. Churches are decorated for the holidays with elaborate floral displays that symbolize rebirth. The traditional Easter lily is believed to have grown in the Garden of Gethsemane, the site of Jesus’ arrest. Other Easter flowers including pussy willows, daffodils, and red tulips symbolize the blood of Christ.

The Easter egg interweaves pagan fertility symbols with Catholic emblems of rebirth and renewal. On Easter Sunday children hunt for chocolate, plastic or hardboiled eggs decorated and distributed by a mythical Easter bunny. The rabbit, with its amazing ability to reproduce, is also a symbol of new life.

Click through our gallery above to see images of Sonoma County residents now and then celebrating Easter.

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