Is Easter becoming a bigger deal?
Posted by GoCardinal07@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 372 comments
I went to a local ham and sandwich store yesterday for lunch; I was surprised to see they were only doing Easter ham pickup (they usually have a great sandwich special on Fridays). Is Easter a big family meal day (hence the store doing only ham pickup)?
My local library didn't have a book I was looking for, so I looked at a neighboring city's library web site, which warned they're closed tomorrow for Easter (they're normally open 7 days a week).
I see that the local Target, Sam's Club, Costco, Cane's, and In-N-Out are all closed for Easter. I don't remember stuff closing for Easter (other than stuff normally closed on Sundays anyway).
(My family is Buddhist, so Easter for me was always a kid's holiday with the bunny and egg hunts.)
Chewiedozier567@reddit
Where I live most of the businesses will close for Good Friday, but the gas stations will be open. As far as Easter Sunday, the only businesses open were the local restaurant that served Easter lunch.
NeverRarelySometimes@reddit
They're selling those hams for $150 a pop. Hardly worth pausing to make you a sandwich! Lots of businesses are traditionally closed on Easter Sunday.
For lots of us, it's a family and friends holiday, not unlike Christmas, but without the gift-giving pressure. I don't think it's become more important.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
Sorry I didn't know that Easter ham was a thing until 2026.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
I appreciate the downvote. Sorry that I'm not a Christian and didn't know about Easter ham.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
I appreciate the downvote. Sorry that I wasn't raised Christian and didn't know about Easter ham.
JustAnotherDay1977@reddit
Bigger deal? No, I would say quite the opposite.
Ok_Buy_9703@reddit
Easter is the biggest holiday in the Christian faith, Lent is the season of reflection/ giving something up (starting on Ash Wednedsay) leading up to Easter so it not a commercial cash cow like Christmas. Christmas is 2nd biggest holiday, but because of marketing Christmas is bigger celebration. So I wouldn't say that it's becoming bigger but maybe a few stores are letting their employees celebrate it...
InfidelZombie@reddit
Maybe if you live in an area with christians. I haven't heard anyone mention Easter as anything but a day off work in the last decade.
holiestcannoly@reddit
It's always been a big deal, but I think it's become more centered around consumerism.
Remarkable_Ship_4673@reddit
No, it's not becoming a "bigger deal"
It's the same as always, maybe you just never noticed
The_Law_of_Pizza@reddit
I dunno, I think OP might have a slight point.
I'm middle aged and well accustomed to most stuff being closed on Easter, but it has never been an almost total shutdown like how Christmas and New Years is.
If I had to put rough number on it, I'd guestimate that historically 95% of stuff is closed on Christmas/New Years, and 80% of stuff is closed on Easter.
But I think OP is sort of right that this year that 80% has jumped up to 95%.
lisagd625@reddit
I noticed that more stores seemed to be closed yesterday (Easter) than in the past.
redrosebeetle@reddit
Since COVID, there's been a bigger push back on stores operating 24/7/363 (closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas). A lot of places have slightly scaled back their operating hours.
Teri-k@reddit
I agree, some stores are closing more on holidays, others are reducing their hours since Covid. I think it's a good thing, personally.
marigoldpossum@reddit
I think this is contributing. I feel like there's been a reset on what actually needs to be opened on holidays, especially in light of getting more difficult finding people to work the holidays.
Since COVID, pretty much all of our local businesses are closed on Monday, or Monday and Tuesday -> so they essentially can just staff their business 5 days/week.
Lupiefighter@reddit
Especially businesses that get food delivery on those days too.
2PlasticLobsters@reddit
There was also a backlash about stores opening on Thanksgiving. It started out as "Black Friday" & opening at midnight. Then it kinda crept into just opening on the holiday. But people got sick of it & most don't anymore.
mc408@reddit
I don't know, I agree with OP. Big chains used to never close on Easter. I noticed Target's closure myself since I ordered stuff online for pickup from them yesterday, and I saw their large "we're closed for Easter" notification banner.
Status_Ad_4405@reddit
I agree too. I was gonna drop in at Target on easter about 10 years ago, and was shocked to see that it was closed.
When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s in the NYC suburbs, I don't remember anything closing for Easter.
fsmpastafarian@reddit
Costco has always closed for holidays including smaller ones like Presidents’ Day, and in n out is owned by Christians so them being closed is very unsurprising. I don’t shop at Sam’s Club and have never tried going to a target on Easter, but I’m not surprised.
GreenBeanTM@reddit
I went to a target in NY (not city) on Easter like 4 years ago and it was open, so that must be either a locational thing or a recent change
seattlemh@reddit
Where I'm located, Target has been closed on Easter for at least 20 years.
ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit
Yeah, I had a part-time job at Target in the early 2000s, and it was closed then. I seriously doubt it was ever open on Easter.
fsmpastafarian@reddit
I have to imagine that’s a company-wide decision too, not just a local one.
seattlemh@reddit
You're probably correct.
Marla_Harlot@reddit
Target has always closed on Easter. I worked there from 2016 to 2020 and it was my only guaranteed day off. (They tried to have me come in on Christmas to start the post-holiday pricing and I said no thanks.)
Oh-its-Tuesday@reddit
I think the being closed thing is a post Covid thing for a lot of places. Sort of like the stopping 24/7 hours, now a lot of places have reduced hours or are just closed on holidays now.
Physical-Incident553@reddit
Target is closed tomorrow? That surprises me. I know Aldi closes for Easter.
jessicalifts@reddit
That’s nuts Americans are working to death. For fucks sake just close Walmart once in a while, Christ.
LaLaLandLiving@reddit
This is totally dependent on where you’re from. In Texas, when I was growing up, everything except some gas stations closed. If anything, it’s gone the other way.
AutumnMama@reddit
I wonder if op is in their early 20s and this is just the first time they've ever needed to go shopping at eastertime.
ilovjedi@reddit
Or did they move? Going from Chicago to Maine, Easter feels like a bigger deal because of relics of the blue laws. So I’m doing my emergency grocery shopping tonight because the law requires the grocery store to close on Easter.
mlo9109@reddit
Hello, fellow Mainer. I actually appreciate the blue laws. People work hard and need a break.
ilovjedi@reddit
I appreciate them too! I just have little kids and one of them is a picky eater so I always worry about running out of food and not being able to go to the grocery store.
TooManyDraculas@reddit
Easter is a bigger deal where I am in Philly, than where I grew up in New York.
Just cause more Catholics.
21stNow@reddit
I used to work in retail around 30 years ago and had never heard of stores closing on Easter back then. I was surprised when I started seeing stores closing on Easter maybe 20 or so years ago.
iowanaquarist@reddit
It's less of a big deal around here. The local amvets are having a steak night the night before Easter
PartyPorpoise@reddit
Always been a big deal for Christians. If you didn’t grow up celebrating Easter you wouldn’t have noticed it as much as something like Christmas, which is way more commercialized.
Ok-Equivalent8260@reddit
It was only a big deal to me when my kid was younger
DontKnowWhyImHereee@reddit
I think this is one of those things where people don’t realize how different experiences can be depending on where and how you grew up. I can understand your experience not being a Christian. For a lot of us, Easter has always been one of the biggest family holidays of the year. When I was a kid, my whole school district(Dozens of elementary, middle, and high schools) lined up spring break with Easter. The week before, the kids would get Easter baskets, then open them on Easter morning. Adults would get dressed up in their nicest clothes, and go to church. Easter Sunday is still the highest-attended day for Protestant churches in America.
After that it was egg hunts as you mentioned, but also big family gatherings, and dinner with relatives you might not see all the time. It had that same “everyone shows up” feeling as other major holidays.
RedditWidow@reddit
Things have been closed on Easter for as long as I can remember, just like Christmas. I'm in my 50s and grew up having big Easter dinners like Thanksgiving but with ham, not turkey, along with egg hunts, gift baskets and family getting together.
I don't know if it's so much that Easter is getting more popular as it is that being open on holidays is becoming less popular. No point in being open to squeeze every last dollar out of a holiday when no one has dollars.
SanitaryJanitary@reddit
What's a ham and sandwich store? I don't have any of those locally.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
Their menu is predominantly sandwiches, but the menu also has a page full of ham options: half hams ranging from 7 lb. to 10 lb. and whole hams ranging from 14 lb. to 18+ lb., and they also sell ham by the lb. It is a single-location mom-and-pop ham and sanwich store that's been open for over 20 years in our area.
That being said, the national chain Honey Baked Ham is the most famous example of a ham and sandwich store, but that wasn't what I went to.
Honey Baked Ham also has a much smaller sandwich selection (just ham and/or turkey) than the mom-and-pop store I referenced above, as the mom-and-pop store has many more types of sandwiches: ham/salami, turkey, chicken, beef short rib, brisket, tri tip, salmon, and lobster.
BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit
Not at my house
Fuzzy_Jaguar_1339@reddit
I'm taking the opposite view of most people here. I think as a secular person, it has absolutely gotten bigger recently. All my friends with kids had to take Friday off because schools close now on Good Friday We never had that off when I was in school in the 90s. My work inbox slowed to a trickle, far more downturn than previous years. The number of people wishing me a happy Easter has gone way up. It feels to me like Easter has been escaping its boundaries as a religious person's holiday with some secular candy/egg hunts and becoming more of a mainstream long weekend holiday like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July.
Soil_Fairy@reddit
Y'all have Good Friday off in Minnesota? I'm actually in the Bible Belt and we don't get Good Friday off. 😭
macoafi@reddit
Maybe because the Bible Belt is very evangelical, and Good Friday is bigger with Catholics.
Soil_Fairy@reddit
We did have it off when I was a kid in the early 90s. I remember school being out and my dad being home. Idk what happened.
macoafi@reddit
Good Friday to Easter Monday was what “spring break” meant to me as a kid in the 90s.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
That is crazy that school closes for Good Friday in your area. Good Friday happened to fall during Spring Break for the school district in my area this year, but last year, Spring Break was several weeks before, and Good Friday was a normal school day. Next year, Good Friday is also scheduled to be a normal school day.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
I agree. I’m a religious Christian. I never used to hear people wish others Happy Easter unless they knew they were Christian, but I’m hearing it now. It generally was a one day holiday, other than the evening of Good Friday. I’m 65 and suddenly it’s a multi day holiday!
Consistent_Damage885@reddit
Not where I am at.
Emotional-Nature4597@reddit
Easter is always a big deal. I'm surprised you haven't felt this in California especially where the Mexicans and Philippinos go all out. In n out especially is run by devout christians and prints Bible verses on all their dishes.
I imagine even amongst the Buddhists there must be some overlap? Many Buddhists are Korean, Vietnamese or Chinese. All of which have large diasporite Christian communities in the USA which must talk right? I mean I went to a majority Vietnamese Catholic school in California which happened to be right next to a Buddhist Vietnamese monastery and the monks were always visiting the parish lol.
stedmangraham@reddit
Easter has always been a big deal, but it’s not super noticeable if you aren’t Christian. Way more people attend church than normal on Easter.
Families often have a big family gathering for lunch or dinner on Easter (probably why the ham thing was there).
But outside of family gatherings and bunny themed chocolates it’s not a huge deal for the public, especially because lots of stuff is closed on Sundays anyway and Easter is always a Sunday. So it’s understandable that you haven’t noticed it being a big thing
KevrobLurker@reddit
The old joke was that you served pork on Easter to flush out any "secret Jews!" 😉 That was pretty awful. Lamb is very traditional, a borrowing from Passover. I think lamb is delicious, but many Americans don't buy it. My mother used to make fresh ham (uncured ham.) I thought that was very tasty.
Emotional-Nature4597@reddit
There's nothing "traditional" on easter. Christianity is a global multi cultural religion. In the anglosphere we get a version of Christianity from England and sure this is traditional in many English speaking contexts but there's many traditions from around the world. Ham or pork is very common but that's also because it's a very convenient roast for a family.
FunkMastaUno@reddit
I guess it's a bigger deal in Catholic areas but it's always been huge among Christians, it's just not a "secular" embraced day like Christmas. I'm agnostic and will celebrate many aspects of Christmas but never did that for Easter outside of Easter egg things as a kid. As an adult it's just another day.
Ok_Entertainment9665@reddit
I remember it being bigger in the 90s before dying back (a lot like halloween) but now that 90s kids are parents it makes sense it would come back
thalaya@reddit
Easter is the biggest holiday in Christianity. It's a bigger holiday than Christmas (although Christmas has more commercial attention)
Gloomy-Parsley-3317@reddit
Biggest how? Do you mean most important in most denominations?
IamGleemonex@reddit
I think u/thalaya is saying that without Easter, Christianity doesn’t exist. The whole idea of Christianity relies on Jesus being the son of God, and his dying in the cross to “save” his followers. Without Jesus’ death, he isn’t the Christ, and Christians don’t exist. Yes, this also required his being born, which is why Christmas is important, but for Christians, Easter is the true celebration of Jesus being Christ.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
Yes, but it isn’t just his death that makes him the Christ, but his resurrection.
Far_Silver@reddit
That's why Easter is a bigger deal than Good Friday.
KevrobLurker@reddit
Meanwhi!e, the manner of his death was used by rabbis as an argument against Yeshua's being the Messiah (anointed one.).
throwraW2@reddit
I was raised catholic, went to catholic school K-12 and it was driven home hard that it was our most important holiday. My wife who’s Episcopalian said she had the same experience. Not sure about other denominations
Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit
I understand that in terms of doctrine, it’s the most important. I had 12 years of catholic school.
For any but the most devout Christian, though, there’s way more preparation, time, effort, and expense around Christmas. Christmas a much bigger cultural footprint, both with casual Christians and definitely with the rest of society.
throwraW2@reddit
That hasn’t been my experience. My family and community put more effort toward Easter
Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit
What do you guys do? Around here it’s church, dinner, and the egg hunt. Only the egg hunt is really community-wide. Schools may get Friday off.
Christmas involves lights in the retail area, a public tree, gift collections for poor families, photos with Santa, showing of a few classic xmas movies in the community rec center, a midnight mass option with choir, regular church options, gifts and dinner at home. Schools get two weeks off which includes new years of course.
scoschooo@reddit
Christmas is much bigger and more important, as a Catholic and in a Catholic family. Anyone saying X is bigger just means in their own family or maybe in their local Christian social group.
Christmas has always been much bigger for most Catholics in the US. It's just that Easter is a big holiday too. For my family - Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are the big holidays in the year.
ntrrrmilf@reddit
There would be no christianity without Easter. It’s literally the entire point of the gospels.
ohlookitsjade@reddit
I grew up Catholic in NYC and Christmas was always wayyyyyy bigger.
scoschooo@reddit
Same. Christmas is way bigger - but Easter is an important family holiday.
ohlookitsjade@reddit
Right!
shelwood46@reddit
I suspect that is partially because Christmas isn't quite as important, religiously, so having it be co-opted as a secular retail vacation holiday isn't as blasphemous as doing that for Easter. Having casual Christians do a nativity, not as heretical as them doing a campy Passion Play, y'know.
Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit
Sure. But I feel like OP was asking about the broader importance and not doctrinal
Disastrous_Fault_511@reddit
The Baptists think it's a pretty big deal. When I was Free Will Baptist we didn't even call it Easter, but Resurrection Sunday and a lot of families did not embrace the eggs and bunny.
KevrobLurker@reddit
RS or Feast of the Resurrection is,also the Catholic name.
No Resurrection without Josh dying. No passion without the Nativity. The most important theological doctrine is the resurrection.
I have a BA from a Jesuit University, Theology was required. Belief didn't stick with me, though.
NIN10DOXD@reddit
I grew up Southern Baptist and while it’s important, I do remember more Christmas festivities granted, it’s probably because they treat Easter more “seriously.”
Agreeable-Sun368@reddit
I am an Orthodox Christian and it's our most important holiday too. It's my favorite holiday actually.
I think it's less important than Christmas for evangelicals maybe?
RandomPaw@reddit
Even at my basic Methodist church it was a big deal. The two days you could count on the church being full were Easter and Christmas.
Appropriate-Win3525@reddit
I was raised Methodist, which is considered a pretty laid back denomination, and Easter was the holiest day in our calendar, too.
rolandboard@reddit
To be fair, Episcopalians are just Diet Pepsi Catholics.
ofBlufftonTown@reddit
We’re Diet Coke Catholics thank you. Diet Pepsi is gross.
sharpshooter999@reddit
Lutheran here, Easter has always been a bigger deal than Christmas, especially since it's not nearly as secular in comparison. Christmas/gift giving/Winter Solstice all get lumped together. Easter is just Easter
clynkirk@reddit
I was raised Catholic, and spent some time at my great grandma's Lutheran Church. And yes, they are very big on Easter as well.
RunJumpSleep@reddit
It’s the holiest day of the year if you are any type of Christian.
queenjazzyjazz@reddit
Easter is the reason Christianity exists at all. Without zombie Jesus, Christianity is just another man made creation used to control and manipulate gullible people.
sgtm7@reddit
In case you missed it, you are probably being downvoted because you are disrespecting a religion in a thread specifically asking about the importance of a specific holiday in that religion.
KevrobLurker@reddit
Christianity stole the name from the followers of Eostre. Disrespect is deserved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre
mistiklest@reddit
That's really only English and German speaking Christians (also, Eostre is only attested to, like, once in the historical record). The vast majority of Christians call the day Passover, or something similar in their language.
Tamihera@reddit
Literally. One source (who was not the most historically accurate guy ever).
KevrobLurker@reddit
The Paschal feast? That was used in my boyhood, but I think that should be left for actual Jews, IMNSHO.
mistiklest@reddit
Yes. The vast majority of Christians call it something like that, and not Easter.
sgtm7@reddit
I will not argue deserved or not served. Irrelevant. If you go to any thread where they are asking a religious question, if you talk crap about that religion, you will be downvoted. That is in the "Don't be an arrogant a-hole for idiots" book.
KevrobLurker@reddit
The question OP asked was as much about secular practice as anything else. Dogma is al! superstition to me.
Gloomy-Parsley-3317@reddit
Lmao
shastaxc@reddit
Yeah the religion really all hinges on whether zombies are real or not
CharlesAvlnchGreen@reddit
The most significant holiday is how I would describe it. It's preceded by Lent which is 40 days of sacrifice/fasting, and Good Friday and Holy Saturday are also significant.
AFAIK, Christmas became a bigger commercial and cultural holiday because societies have traditionally celebrated a lot of things in the dead of winter, when it was easier to celebrate (harvest was done, more free time), and people liked a distraction from the long, cold, dark days.
oswin13@reddit
Lets not forget good old capitalism. Fasting and abstinence don't sell Nintendos.
Gloomy-Parsley-3317@reddit
Eh Christmas was huge way before capitalism. The ancient Romans went way the hell out for a week in Christmas' ancestors holiday, and that was before Jesus even died.
thalaya@reddit
Because Easter is the resurrection. It's the entire basis of the religion.
Just like I said - Christmas is more commercialized. Therefore, it's much bigger among secular people than Easter
But in terms of the religion, Easter is the biggest holiday by far. Most important, most impactful, most celebrations/traditions (e.g. 40 days of lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Holy Monday, etc)
MMARapFooty@reddit
Easter is the most attended holiday ceremony for churches from my expereience.
Traditional_Trust418@reddit
I'm an atheist, but I grew up Christian in an ultra religious household. Easter is a bigger deal because it celebrates Christ's resurrection and his sacrifice for our sins.
Christmas is just his birthday party. Easter is a celebration of the fact that he died for our sins and saved us all
newbie527@reddit
Christians take the resurrection seriously and, usually, literally so it is the foundation of faith for most.
twisted_stepsister@reddit
People who routinely skip going to church on Christmas wouldn't dream of skipping it on Easter Sunday.
Far_Silver@reddit
Christmas celebrations might be (even) more festive than Easter ones, but in terms of theology, Easter is the most important holiday and Christmas comes second. Christmas is associated with presents because of Epiphany, so there's more to commercialize. For Easter there's less to commercialize unless your business makes/sells candy or decorations.
Dallas2houston120@reddit
I've been apart of at least 7-8 denominations in my life time and no matter what its still the biggest and most important holiday by far.
The_GREAT_Gremlin@reddit
It's the most religious significant holiday for Christians.
aceam92@reddit
He most the most important religiously for all Christian denominations
eapaul80@reddit
Even if you add Advent and Lent. The birth of Christ is a wayyyy bigger deal at least in Catholicism. And I get the Stations of the Cross, all that. You’re just incorrect that Easter is a bigger deal.
Impossible_Emu5095@reddit
I think you’re mistaken on the importance of Easter for Catholics. Yes, the birth of Christ is important, but we literally celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ every single week during the Eucharist portion of the mass. And special liturgies for every day of Holy Week. Easter is to Catholics what Passover is to Jews.
sgtm7@reddit
I can't comment to Catholics in the USA, but I currently live in a country where Catholism is the official religion. Easter is a big deal, but no where near as big a deal as Christmas. They start selling and putting out decorations in September. The whole period of "ber" months are considered Christmas season.
eapaul80@reddit
I’m certainly wrong. I don’t study the catechism. I’m out of date. I haven’t been to mass in 20 years
Traditional_Trust418@reddit
Why were you commenting above like it's fact when you actually didn't know then?
eapaul80@reddit
Because I’m a jackass on Reddit, why else?!!
Seriously, idk. It wasn’t that serious to me. It’s a religious holiday some people hold dearly, and to some others it’s a holiday about hard boiled eggs and bunnies
ElegantLandscape@reddit
Catholic here, where did you do your catechism classes?! Every Catholic and the Magisterium of the Church would disagree with you. Did you not go to church with any day this Holy Week?
eapaul80@reddit
No last time I went to mass was my grandmothers funeral 25 years ago. I was way wrong. I understand that. I won’t comment anymore or religion. And I’m not a practicing catholic. I’m only baptized catholic because I was born Irish and Italian in the 80s. I did communion, confession, and even confirmation lol.
gardengrowsgreen@reddit
Yeah you are waaaay wrong on that.
crtclms666@reddit
Come on, if Jesus existed, he wasn’t born in the winter. Christmas was shellacked onto Saturnalia. The rebirth of the sun became the birth of Jesus.
eapaul80@reddit
Well Jesus existed, but did he rise from the dead? That’s the question.
young_trash3@reddit
The offical catechism of the catholic church disagrees with you.
eapaul80@reddit
I stand corrected. I was wrong. But I guess for us it was nothing. So I don’t get it
eapaul80@reddit
It’s certainly not bigger than Christmas lol
xxxjessicann00xxx@reddit
It's the literal foundation of the entire religion.
FallenAngelina@reddit
Easter is the most important holiday for Christianity. For the American economy, of course nothing is bigger than Christmas.
___daddy69___@reddit
from a theological perspective it is way more important. Christmas is more important culturally
rolandboard@reddit
They meant liturgically, not commercially or secularly.
Sufficient_Bakem@reddit
Religiously, it absolutely is.
vertigounconscious@reddit
lol no
treymata@reddit
I mean it's the most important Christian holiday, Christmas is just bigger in the US
burlingk@reddit
I'm from the US.
It's ALWAYS been a thing.
I was in high school when they decided that Good Friday shouldn't automatically be a day off from school.
And most schools made it a "Teacher in service" day, with permissive leave.
That way it's still a day off for the students, and any teacher that wants it, without it being a school holiday.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
I am a lifelong Californian. Good Friday happened to fall during Spring Break for the school district in my area this year, but last year, Spring Break was several weeks before, and Good Friday was a normal school day. Next year, Good Friday is also scheduled to be a normal school day.
burlingk@reddit
It varies by state and city. I grew up in Texas.
My main point was that the current situation isn't a sudden increase.
Voodoo330@reddit
No but prolly don't go to a ham shop for a sandwich on Good Friday and you're good.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
I didn't know Easter ham was a thing until 2026.
LadyGreyIcedTea@reddit
Where do you live?
I don't think anything is closed in my area.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
Coastal Southern California
JohnHenryMillerTime@reddit
Check the school system. This year for the first time ours had the Firday before Easter off. Three day weekends make travel much easier.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
For the school district in my area, Good Friday happened to fall during Spring Break this year. However, last year, Spring Break was several weeks before, and Good Friday was a normal school day. Next year, Good Friday is also scheduled to be a normal school day.
Kal-El21315@reddit
Whats a ham and sandwich store? I go there my options are a whole ham or a sandwich?
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
Yes, the one I went to is a single-location mom-and-pop store that's been open for over 20 years in our area. Their menu is predominantly sandwiches, but the menu also has a page full of ham options: half hams ranging from 7 lb. to 10 lb. and whole hams ranging from 14 lb. to 18+ lb., and they also sell ham by the lb.
The national chain Honey Baked Ham is the most famous example of a ham and sandwich store, but that wasn't what I went to.
Honey Baked Ham also have a much smaller sandwich selection (just ham and/or turkey) than the mom-and-pop store I referenced above, as the mom-and-pop store has many more types of sandwiches: ham/salami, turkey, chicken, beef short rib, brisket, tri tip, salmon, lobster.
Low-Crow5719@reddit
Spain has a chain called Museo del Jamon. Yes, they sell ham sandwiches and whole hams. Ham is a Big Deal in Spain like nowhere else.
Kal-El21315@reddit
I want to go to there
itsmyparty45@reddit
Yes. They also have turkey.
https://www.honeybaked.com/home
StickaFORKinMyEye@reddit
I'm more fascinated by the idea of a ham and sandwich store. I didn't realize such a thing existed - except maybe in Spain.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
Yes, the one I went to is a single-location mom-and-pop store that's been open for over 20 years in our area. Their menu is predominantly sandwiches, but the menu also has a page full of ham options: half hams ranging from 7 lb. to 10 lb. and whole hams ranging from 14 lb. to 18+ lb., and they also sell ham by the lb.
The national chain Honey Baked Ham is the most famous example of a ham and sandwich store, but that wasn't what I went to. (They also have a much smaller sandwich selection than the mom-and-pop store I referenced above, as the mom-and-pop store has many more types of sandwiches.)
dr_stre@reddit
Is your “local ham and sandwich store” a Honey Baked? Those aren’t really “local stores” just FYI, they’re a nationwide chain (there are more than 500 nationwide), and they all do this every year, with people lining up for blocks at some locations to pick up their Easter ham. Been this way for a long, long time.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
No, the one I'm referring to is a single-location mom-and-pop store that's been open for over 20 years in our area. We have Honey Baked Ham stores in my area, but that wasn't what I went to. I will admit I'd never head of Easter ham before.
rawbface@reddit
Of6 a place sells ham on Easter, that's going to be their main focus for Easter weekend. It's a moneymaker for them.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
I had no idea Easter was a ham holiday.
No-Kaleidoscope-166@reddit
The local ham store isn't Honey Baked Ham? They are also super busy for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
GoCardinal07@reddit (OP)
No, the one I'm referring to is a single-location mom-and-pop store that's been open for over 20 years in our area. We have Honey Baked Ham stores in my area, but that wasn't what I went to.
Bright_Ices@reddit
Easter is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar, so it’s a very big church and family holiday. Even for those who aren’t religious, it’s often a day for a big family get-together and at least a modest feast.
Bright_Ices@reddit
Easter is a big family holiday. My family isn’t even religious, but we cook a ham and have a big afternoon dinner with all the relatives who live in the area.
The_GREAT_Gremlin@reddit
Easter is the most important Christian holiday. Always has been.
Christmas has been gripped harder by commercialization, so in American culture it often seems like a bigger deal. But in terms of religious significance, it is absolutely the most sacred holiday for Christians.
Your local library being open Sundays is pretty niche too; I've never heard of that. But yeah closing it for Easter absolutely makes sense.
Easter ham is a pretty common if not the most common meal. Makes sense a ham shop would do that.
syncopatedchild@reddit
Where have you lived? I've never known anywhere that closes the library on Sunday. That's usually the busiest day!
syncopatedchild@reddit
As a fellow non-Christian, I get it. I feel like up till maybe 10 years ago, it was a minor holiday that nothing closed for, and people just went to church, hunted for eggs, ate ham and deviled eggs, and then went to a movie or to Target, but now apparently it's the holiest day in Christianity and "always has been" so everything has to close. There definitely seems to have been some religious revival around Easter.
Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit
I’m in my 30’s and Easter has always been this way lol it’s a holiday some people celebrate, and Easter ham has always been a thing.
Bamboozle_@reddit
I'd even say it is less a big deal than it used to be. Good Friday used to be a bank holiday.
Sarah_withanH@reddit
It still is, but it used to be, too.
Afraid-Art-2802@reddit
ngl that sounds kinda wild, like who knew easter was that serious for some peeps smh
TheBeefyMungPie@reddit
It’s literally the most important holiday for members of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus is the reason the religion Christianity exists.
Sugah-mama21@reddit
Yes, it is a huge big deal with all family getting together and having a large Easter Dinner.
oo317537oo@reddit
agreed with OP. there are way more things closed on Easter than there have been in the past. like why is Chipotle closed lol? Easter used to just be like any other day unless you were religious.
ShinyDapperBarnacle@reddit
Actually, I've been wondering the same thing as you. Where I live, it seems like more places are closed tomorrow or this weekend than in past years.
Duke_skellington_8@reddit
I’m in California and same — shocked that Sephora, FedEx, UPS, and Blue Mercury all were closed today.
2GreyKitties@reddit
My understanding is that the common traditions of eating ham, lamb, eggs, and loads of sweets are all culturally derived from Easter marking the end of Lent, when devout people were abstaining from eggs, meat, and sweets. Hence also the popularity back in the day of pickled eggs (😋 yum)- people were abstaining from eating eggs during Lent, so they would boil them up and pickle them for enjoying after the six weeks of abstinence.
Duke_skellington_8@reddit
As someone who lives in California more places are closer this year than the last. Like Sephora is closed?
Somethingisshadysir@reddit
I think it's about the same as I always remember.
James19991@reddit
It's always been important. With that said though, Christmas is culturally a bigger deal in the US.
Soil_Fairy@reddit
If anything, it's less of a big deal than when I was a kid. In the 90s most non retail or emergency jobs were closed for Good Friday, and sometimes Easter Monday too. It was a big celebration all weekend and NO retail stores were open Easter Sunday. Now you can go to the mall. People still have the family celebrations, but getting off work is rare unless you use PTO. Businesses are starting to close again on Easter, but for a large chunk of time in the 2000s it was business as usual. And I don't personally know any jobs giving extra holiday time for Good Friday. I'm sure they exist, but they aren't common. We have school as usual and everything.
droobles1337@reddit
It’s a big deal in my region, I live in a predominantly Catholic city now with shops closed, but my family and I are Baptist so for us it was church in the morning and a lunch together, then we just chilled, napped, maybe play cards or board games. These days I sleep in, this Easter just feels like any other Sunday since I moved away.
Live-Fig-1333@reddit
Agree with OP. My (pretty large) Texas city used to have plenty of things open on Easter… you could do yard work and run to the store if you needed something. Now everything is closed. Restaurants, grocery stores, home stores… the whole city seems to shut down.
dobbydisneyfan@reddit
It’s always been a huge deal. I live way outside of the Bible belt and it’s huge here too. It’s even more a thing in areas with a lot of Catholics. But I knew atheists who made it a huge deal too.
Judgy-Introvert@reddit
Not really. I think it’s the opposite where I live. Less people I know celebrate it. We don’t at all. What you describe though sounds pretty normal for most areas.
Ravenhill-2171@reddit
Most of that sounds normal - except perhaps some of the stores, which is great. Workers deserve to spend time with their families.
lyndachinchinella@reddit
Im 47 and its always been a big deal atleast here in the great lakes region.
IsopodKey2040@reddit
It always has been a big deal in my experience. A major holiday for sure.
saberlight81@reddit
This is crazy to me because in the same state, between the age I stopped doing egg hunts and the age my kids started doing egg hunts, I'm not sure I ever observed somebody giving a shit about Easter at all. Even growing up in a religious family it was never a big get together like Christmas or Thanksgiving, we just went to an early church service and came home to baskets full of chocolate.
Crazy_Raven_Lady@reddit
I also grew up in a religious family and Easter wasn’t a big deal for us. It was just about kid stuff like dying eggs and getting Easter baskets.
Prior-Soil@reddit
It was bigger than Thanksgiving in my Catholic family.
boomer-rage@reddit
Yeah, I was a musician and the Easter Vigil was the only reliably 3 hour long mass of the year. Christmas midnight mass came in a distant second.
KevrobLurker@reddit
I grew up as a Vatican II Catholic on Long Island. Easter was a big deal. We had church services, on the Thursday & Friday before, which were important. I was,an a!tar boy, & got run ragged in ghat period. I also sang in the choir. Very busy. The hierarchy tried to convince people Resurrection Sunday was more important than Christmas, at least theologically. In greater NY, we had enough businesses owned by non-Christians that not being able to find someplace open was not a problem.
I am a single, childless, retired atheist. It isn't a big day for me. I did add some candy to an Instacart order, because I like chocolate & jelly beans. Before COVID several of my siblings & I would meet at the apt of one of my sisters, where we would have a great meal. Sis, also retired, has given up hosting those dos, since. I will cook myself a nice meal. I'm thinking roast pork loin filets, wild rice & some veg. There's baseball to watch.
Living in Greater NY, we had the whole 5th Avenue Easter Parade tradition. (See film with Judy Garland & Fred Astaire.)
Crazy_Raven_Lady@reddit
I wonder if it wasn’t big for my family because we were seventh day adventists and went to church on Saturday 🤔I didn’t even realize it was a religious holiday through a lot of my childhood. I just thought it was a silly thing for kids.
Pinkfish_411@reddit
Easter is basically the central religious holiday in the Christian liturgical calendar, even more so than Christmas. Catholics, Orthodox, and other liturgical traditions attach a lot more cultural significance to it too since they follow a liturgical calendar and have gone through the Lenten services and fast, whereas a lot of Protestant traditions don't really have a season of lead-up to it.
aksers@reddit
Really??
IsopodKey2040@reddit
Ya
aksers@reddit
Interesting. Id say even Halloween is a much bigger holiday than Easter in my experience.
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Forth of July
Halloween
New years Eve
St Patrick's Day
Labor Day and memorial Day
Valentine's Day
Summer equinox
Easter
jigokubi@reddit
This list is quite shocking to me.
aksers@reddit
Care to explain? Sounds like this could be a very regionalized list though
jigokubi@reddit
Like, ranking it below Summer Equinox is wild to me.
I would put it after Thanksgiving, I think. I haven't done anything for Easter in decades, but in my family, relatives invited each other to dinners.
I'm in Michigan.
aksers@reddit
Seattle has a huge summer equinox festival. That one was definitely purposefully provacative to add lol
jigokubi@reddit
Haha, I approve.
aksers@reddit
Sounds like a need for the government to step in and price regulate. But God forbid, that's communism.
Agreeable-Sun368@reddit
Summer Equinox is a bigger deal than Easter where you live? Seriously? That's insane. It feels like something out of a parody sketch about the PNW. Sorry lol
aksers@reddit
Seattle has a huge summer equinox festival. Naked bike rides and everything! But that was mostly meant as a jab for how little easter means to most here lol
aksers@reddit
Seattle has a huge summer equinox festival. Naked bike rides and everything! But that was mostly meant as a jab for how little easter means to most here lol
kjlsdjfskjldelfjls@reddit
Sounds about right IMO (aside from the summer equinox, which no one here seems to care about either)
carryon4threedays@reddit
Commenter is in the Bible Belt too. It’s a lot different here, even for non-religious. Even the malls are closed.
aksers@reddit
Wow! In the PNW you might see some local Easter egg hunts in parks for children, and if course churches have signs up, but otherwise just another rainy spring Sunday.
carryon4threedays@reddit
I’m actually camping for Easter at a state park now.
aksers@reddit
That's awesome! I'd love to go visit some of the outdoor lands in Texas, but haven't really had a chance yet. I've got some plans for the national parks and monuments, but not really familiar with any state parks. Any hidden gems you'd recommend?
carryon4threedays@reddit
I recommend the Hill Country. It’s basically between Austin and Del Rio if you look at a map. Also, Big Bend/Guadalupe Mtns area. Just don’t come in July-August.
aksers@reddit
Aren't big Bend and Guadalupe mountains like 6 hours apart? I was considering doing a trip out there and staying in kerrville for the eclipse, but that never happened. :(
Got to make it there sometime!
carryon4threedays@reddit
Kerrville is great. Fredericksburg too. I actually proposed to my wife there
aksers@reddit
That's awesome :) enjoy camping this weekend!
carryon4threedays@reddit
Feel free to PM me if you ever need recommendations.
aksers@reddit
Interesting. Id say even Halloween is a much bigger holiday than Easter in my experience.
Christmas Thanksgiving Forth of July Halloween New years Eve St Patrick's Day Labor Day and memorial Day Valentine's Day Summer equinox Easter
ManateeFlamingo@reddit
This is business as usual for easter holiday. I am not religious but its standard that a lot of places are closed easter sunday. A lot of restaurants havw certainly hopped on the pre-made holiday meal bandwagon since covid at least.
Cerebral-Knievel-1@reddit
I meen.. it's technically a more important holiday than Christmas if you are a practicing Christian.
stayweird3000@reddit
Easter is a huge deal but much more subtle than Christmas. It’s the culmination of a season that begins like ten days after Christmas, includes Carnival and Lent, and is the reason McDonald’s sells a double Filet-O-Fish every spring. For a lot of people who don’t celebrate, you might not even notice what’s going on outside of seeing Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs for sale at the drug store. That’s all I usually notice.
Big__If_True@reddit
Cane’s in particular closes for all holidays, hell they even close early on Super Bowl Sunday so employees can watch the game
Maronita2025@reddit
It is a MAJOR religious holiday for Christians!
Willow_Winnifred@reddit
Still don't understand why the rest of us need to be punished
Tamihera@reddit
You mad about getting days off?!
Most of Europe, the UK, Australia and NZ take a lazy long weekend at Easter. Easter Monday is a holiday too. It’s nice not having to go into work.
JohnnyFootballStar@reddit
There are hourly workers who don’t get paid, which is a bummer for them, especially if they aren’t Christian’s.
jsa4ever@reddit
Then perhaps they can pick up hours elsewhere in the week.
Maronita2025@reddit
If you could get enough non-Christians to work major Christian holidays then the businesses would be happy to stay open.
307148@reddit
What did the Easter Bunny do to you?
WhoSaidWhatNow2026@reddit
Left plastic eggs all over the lawn
JohnnyFootballStar@reddit
An “Easter ham” in particular is a thing. I used to work at a major ham store as a teenager during their busy periods, which were Christmas and Easter. Christmas was bigger but Easter was still pretty important too. They would hire a bunch of us to work in the weeks leading up to both holidays. I would work like 80 hours in the week leading up to Christmas and then take the rest of the break off. I suspect it was illegal due to my age, but I enjoyed the overtime and basically hanging out with my friends all day glazing hams.
joreanasarous@reddit
Target has been closed for Easter for at least a decade (former employee).
We also didn't get paid for it.
I remember being a bored teen 20-25 years ago on Easter and the thing being open was McDonald's.
What you're describing isn't new. I think you're just now noticing.
RodeoBoss66@reddit
Entire public library systems that are open 7 days a week? WHERE? I'm very doubtful of that. Central or Main Library branches, maybe, but entire systems? I'm in NYC. Even the libraries here aren't all open 7 days a week.
StasRutt@reddit
Idk Im like an hour south of DC and our public library system is 7 days a week
Physical-Incident553@reddit
I’m seeing a lot more people actually giving Easter gifts to their kids. Not just a basket with candy. Gifts. Big toys. And this continues for college age and older among people I know and see them talking about on social media.
StasRutt@reddit
Yeah Easter baskets have gotten out of control
Zippered_Nana@reddit
That is weird. It’s sort of like how birthdays have escaped their boundaries and become birthweeks.
GSilky@reddit
Depends on the town. I keep my store open on Easter, and I work it for the church lady employees because it's a laid back day that is mostly smoking joints in my walk-in and shooting the breeze with the regular customers who don't notice the holiday, which isn't many.
WiseQuarter3250@reddit
Honey baked Ham shop always has a line around the building this time of year for decades. If a place specializes in certain sought after items, ham especially, or other meats catholics gave up for lent, it's not unexpected.
cool_weed_dad@reddit
If anything Easter is becoming much less of a deal the or used to be.
deltagma@reddit
It’s exactly the same it has always been.
I think you are just noticing it this year
EmJayLL@reddit
I was wondering this very same thing. No one ever wishes me happy Easter or happy holidays or warns businesses may be closed, but this year, all that has happened.
cameronpark89@reddit
always been this way, honestly it seems less popular, at least in the areas i’ve lived in. i had no problem shopping for items for my sons easter basket.
goblin_hipster@reddit
Easter is a big family meal day. Ham is traditional. It's nothing new. I think this is just confirmation bias.
Tamihera@reddit
See, it was always lamb for us in the UK. One year, Passover and Easter Sunday were on top of each other, so we had a lamb roast with matzah instead of Yorkshire pudding. I don’t ever remember eating ham at Easter.
goblin_hipster@reddit
I didn't know that! I have no idea why we eat ham tbh.
Forsaken_Hermit@reddit
Easter has always been big and would be even bigger if they fixed the damn date.
Asparagus9000@reddit
It's a little less popular than it used to be in my experience.
HackDaddy85@reddit
I actually think it’s way down from where it used to be. Lots more stuff is open compared to how it used to be. And not nearly as many people put out decorations anymore compared to when I was a kid.
capsrock02@reddit
As a Jew, no.
JoyfulNoise1964@reddit
The things you mention have always occurred
DryEyeKitty@reddit
When I was growing up in the 90's, Easter was the 2nd biggest holiday for us behind Christmas probably. It seems like it's become less of a big deal. The whole fish on Friday's thing was always big, the ash on people's foreheads, etc.
Even outside if religion it should be a big deal, because it is basically the middle of spring, the transition from dark to light, and cold to warm.
MetalEnthusiast83@reddit
Never even registered as a real holiday to me. If you don’t get the day off, who gives a shit? It’s not any more important than Halloween or Secretary’s Day.
7empestSpiralout@reddit
It always has been. As it should be
crtclms666@reddit
As what should be?
7empestSpiralout@reddit
Easter should be a big deal
Independent-Photo500@reddit
why?
7empestSpiralout@reddit
Because, if you’re a Christian, it’s the resurrection of our Savior.
Independent-Photo500@reddit
but you said it should be a big deal, not that it should be a big deal for christians
7empestSpiralout@reddit
It should be
Independent-Photo500@reddit
once again, you’re not being very specific so ppl don’t know what you’re talking about
Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit
I don't think these are new, probably just stood out to you because they created some inconveniences.
forestinpark@reddit
As an European, no it is not a big deal.
Still weird we have to work on Friday and Monday during Easter weekend.
Hoosier_Jedi@reddit
Why do you guys always just say “European” instead of whatever nationality you are?
forestinpark@reddit
Too many years in USA. I say where I am from and people dont know where I am from. Usually say, I didnt know Africa has white people. So I keep it European, unless I am talking with another immigrant, greater chance of them knowing general geography.
dirENgreyscale@reddit
You must have been in a poorly educated state, I presume? Apartheid is such a major world history topic I don’t see how anyone could not know that.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
Hard to believe, but we Americans are poorly educated about any history other than our own, and kind of shaky on that.
dirENgreyscale@reddit
World history was a major subject when I was in school. Education varies drastically throughout the US.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
It absolutely does. I had world history also. My kids didn’t.
Hoosier_Jedi@reddit
Dude, unless you’re from Andora or some other postage stamp country, I seriously doubt most Americans don’t know your country exists. Maybe they can’t find it on a map, but how many African countries can you point to? And if you’re a white African, well, apart from South Africans, we don’t run across many of those. It’s not like that sort of history is especially relevant to us.
forestinpark@reddit
I can point to most of African, Asian, South American countries.
I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina. People dont know shit. They think it is next to Iraq, Egypt, somewhere among the "Stans". Think it was part of Russia.
I tell somebody from Gabin where I am from "oh yugoslavia, Marshall Tito"
notsosecretshipper@reddit
I'm in a Catholic-heavy area. Easter and the Lent season has always been a big deal here.
Raibean@reddit
This is normal.
Altruistic_Relief189@reddit
Many retailers don't do enough business to justify being open on holidays. You are going to see more and more close or do reduced hours post Covid because it makes operational sense to let employees be with families than waste payroll on poor sales.
And for Christians, this is the holiest of days in the religious calendar. It's always been a big deal.
LazyCassiusCat@reddit
I'm in my 40s and I agree, I don't remember so much being closed on Easter, I'm also not religious, but never had too much trouble going to places on Easter.
OrthodoxAnarchoMom@reddit
I think ordering premade holiday dinners is what’s becoming bigger.
Places are having more reasonable hours than when I was in my teens and early 20s in general. It’s a good thing.
Bluemonogi@reddit
It isn’t any bigger in my area.
Berylldama@reddit
I don't think it's changed, Easter has always been the quieter of the "everything is closed" holidays. The store I work at is closed on Easter.
About 20 years ago I worked at a book store that decided to be open on Easter and we didn't even make enough to cover payroll. Easter is one of those holidays that families get to take off and they tend to spend the entire day together at home or a relative's.
lyralady@reddit
Idk maybe? I feel like generally Christian holidays have gotten more consumerist. I had like 3 people wish me a happy Easter today despite the fact that I am wearing a passover shirt. Granted I figure only other Jews will understand that it is a passover shirt but the irony was funny to me. (My shirt is black and says in white text "darkness is my favorite plague.")
certifiedcolorexpert@reddit
Actually, Easter is less of a deal. It used to be like Christmas Day, everything shut down. Not anymore.
Loisgrand6@reddit
Depends on your area. In my area, every store/business is shut down except for maybe a gas station or drugstore or convenience store
2PlasticLobsters@reddit
It's probably more of a corporate profit thing. Most stores probably don't make enough to make unwilling employees come in, plus paying for electricity etc.
I've noticed more places being closed in areas I've lived in than when I was younger.
Crazy_Raven_Lady@reddit
It also seems to me like it’s becoming a bigger deal. As a kid in the 80s/90s I remember getting Easter baskets but never celebrating and having an Easter dinner or anything. Maybe I just never noticed that people take it so seriously but I’ve had the same thoughts as you over the past few years.
shelwood46@reddit
I know growing up in the 70s I only got candy and eggs, I did not encounter "Easter gifts" until I was in NJ in the 90s. Some families have turned it into a whole expensive gift giving holiday, especially for summer toys (bikes are big) and new electronics. As long as I do not have to participate, they can go on with their rich selves.
Crazy_Raven_Lady@reddit
I mostly got candy in my Easter basket and some little things like pens, pencils, little notebooks, maybe a plushie etc.
caseygwenstacy@reddit
Easter is a federal holiday, things will be closed. Some localities even have blue laws and other institutions that take religious holidays seriously. Overall, it seems like not experiencing easter on your own isolated you from how widely it is celebrated. Things close, families gather, and people prepare accordingly.
ColumbiaWahoo@reddit
Not really. Looks pretty similar to how it was 20 years ago.
Jewish-Mom-123@reddit
No, it’s that employees are finally starting to push back and refuse to work on major holidays.
WthAmIEvenDoing@reddit
I would guess you just notice it more now that you’re older. Where I live, more businesses are closed on Easter than they are on Christmas. The only things open will be a couple of gas stations. Even the grocery stores are closed or have very limited hours. Also, for most Christians, Easter lunch/dinner is as big of a deal as Thanksgiving dinner, and since church is in the morning, lots of people opt to order a ham because there isnt as much time to cook between church and lunch. Worth mentioning too that many Americans who aren’t Christians celebrate Easter culturally.
Graflex01867@reddit
I think that especially post-COVID, businesses have been taking a longer, harder look at their opening hours, including holidays. A lot of businesses don’t make all that much profit right before the holidays, so closing isn’t a big deal for loosing revenue, and they don’t have to pay their staff for the day either (which benefits the business), and the employees get some more time off (which benefits the employees.)
LunarVolcano@reddit
I feel like stuff has always been closed for easter. It’s one of the few days a year my mom’s job has always closed, at least. The place I worked the last couple years stayed open (we had a lot of Jewish patrons) and I enjoyed my time and a half pay.
FlyByPC@reddit
Is that this week?
FinanceGuyHere@reddit
Easter and Passover are always on the same weekend and are a 3 day weekend for most people. This year and last year, Eid/Ramadan was closely aligned as well and ended a week ago this year. So everyone is ready to take some time off!
Zippered_Nana@reddit
Passover is the week before Easter. Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He was then arrested and put on trial, before being killed at the end of that week.
FinanceGuyHere@reddit
Oh whoops haha, you’re right!
ITrCool@reddit
It’s always been this way, far back as I could remember. Two of my last several employers even observed Good Friday as a holiday so employees could enjoy a three day weekend with family if they wanted to.
RandomPaw@reddit
My family's big holidays growing up were always Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Either we traveled or our relatives traveled so we could all be together on those days. We would have big meals just like we would for the other two plus (unlike the other two) this meal would include hot cross buns and a special lamb-shaped coconut cake that my aunt always made. There were always events leading up to it at the local botanical garden so people could buy lilies and see big floral displays. I don't remember Easter egg hunts but we definitely got Easter baskets and dyed eggs. We also got new dresses for Easter every year and I don't honestly know why. I guess to have new clothes for church?
Easter is usually the same time as Passover so it wasn't just Christians that made a big deal of Easter since Passover seder is pretty major too. Greek Easter was also a huge deal at restaurants in the Chicago area where there a lot of Greek restaurateurs.
I'm guessing maybe it passed you by because it's always on Sunday so there aren't days off school or work for it like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
FlatChemist8132@reddit
I agree with OP. Usually most things are open and it’s barely noticeable as a non-Christian. The last few years not much is open, many restaurants we like are open only for brunch or not at all, grocery stores are either closed or on reduced hours. I’m not sure if this is all related to dwindling workforce post Covid or more pro-Christian sentiment in the government trickling down
LinuxLinus@reddit
Easter becomes less of a big deal every year as church attendance and religious faith decline. This has been the case for a long time.
carryon4threedays@reddit
I aster is one of the bigger holidays. It’s huge where I live. We barbecue outside and family comes over, brings a side dish, and it’s a big to-do. People reserve spaces at the local park for days before the holiday. I used to work retail and we were always closed Easter. It’s typically warm where I am too
Zippered_Nana@reddit
That’s something new to me, barbecuing on Easter, and going to parks. Interesting! Where are located? I’m in the US, up North.
carryon4threedays@reddit
South Texas. It’s already in the 80s here.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
Thanks! Very nice to eat outdoors then. Easter dinner has always been a formal one up North.
Pitiful_Fox5681@reddit
I'm Catholic and fairly involved in my church. It has always been challenging to me that the US doesn't shut down for Holy Week like most (even just culturally) Christian countries.
Helping with Maundy Thursday after work, then fasting and venerating on Good Friday between scheduled meetings, then prepping my baptism students for Easter Vigil today is a lot of work/energy.
I know the majority of Protestants don't observe the whole Triduum, but I'm just saying that Easter is a BIG deal and a big commitment for all Christians.
It's only as new as Christianity itself
Independent-Photo500@reddit
it’s challenging that an entire country doesn’t shut down for a whole week to accommodate your particular religious beliefs and practices?
Pitiful_Fox5681@reddit
Yes. It's objectively more challenging than if we did shut down (like most of Western Europe).
Deolater@reddit
No, but I think things closing for holidays is coming back.
There was a weird time in the 2010s when it felt like stores were experimenting with staying open for holidays
elucify@reddit
It has always been this way. In fact I would say it is less prevalent than it used to be. When I was a kid in the 60s and 70s, everything was closed on Easter. Everything. Like Christmas Day.
I never thought about this, but I think it's ironic that Christians, in America at least, have chosen ham as the traditional meal of choice for their reinterpretation of Pesach. I wonder how that happened.
Zippered_Nana@reddit
I wonder too! I never thought about it until reading this thread. It is also an ironic choice, but I suspect that is coincidental. Off I go to look it up…
pinniped90@reddit
It's been approximately the same deal since Christianity's rise in Western culture, I'd imagine.
xiphoid77@reddit
I think it depends on where in the USA. Growing up in Philly and then Minneapolis no one really celebrated. Now I retired to East Tennessee and everything is closed on Good Friday and Easter. It is weird for me, but normal for Tennessee.
jessicalifts@reddit
It’s probably the most important Christian holiday. In my (admittedly, Canadian, not American) province, Good Friday and Easter Sunday have always been stat holidays for all of my lifetime and longer.
I think the more interesting discussion is if Easter is becoming too commercial (big gifts).
rolandboard@reddit
Well...for the last 1993 years anyway.
Lucky-Bonus6867@reddit
Huh. Hadn’t thought about this. Are Christian’s planning a big 2033 “2000 year anniversary” Easter blow out? 😂
SisterLostSoul@reddit
It's been somewhat of a big deal as long as I can recall. I'm from Chicago and it's always been a day for the family to gather and have a fairly big meal with some traditional foods.
As far as the Easter meal pickup, that's something that didn't exist when I was younger. Nowadays, people are looking to lighten the load, even on weekdays, by getting prepared meals from restaurants, delis, and grocery stores. But that doesn't make it a bigger deal than in the past. It's just a different way of putting the food on the table
HadynGabriel@reddit
Actually Easter is small time compared to when I was growing up
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
Depends on where you live. In California it's just meh.
Silly_Somewhere1791@reddit
The idea of treating Easter like a second Christmas is new, but that’s mostly an online thing.
Bubbly-End-6156@reddit
Stores closing on holidays is actually a correction after the nonsense that was the early 2000s.
D-ouble-D-utch@reddit
Mmm yes my local hammery. Ham & Egger
nocturnal_carnivore@reddit
I find it weird that the stores are closed. Like maybe some local ones would open late so folks could go to church or do egg hunts and easter baskets the morning of, but completely closed seems strange to me, and I’m from Alabama (in the Bible Belt) even.
biggcb@reddit
No. Pretty much always been like as you described.
WiolOno_@reddit
Becoming? It’s the single most important Christian holiday. I’d even say it’s lost some steam over time though it remains the most important.
StatisticianDapper84@reddit
A number of public libraries in my area that are normally open on Sundays are closed on Easter, but some quick googling revealed that they've been doing this for at least a decade, so it's not something new.
spkoller2@reddit
It’s the big day
rdubmu@reddit
No there are more atheist than ever before
Alarmed_Drop7162@reddit
Pandering? Yes. That will continue
Otherwise-OhWell@reddit
Of all Christian holidays, I enjoy Christmas the most.
gato-afortunado@reddit
It’s certainly changed. It’s all about presents and egg hunts now. I don’t think most kids even know there’s a religious aspect to it.
shelwood46@reddit
Easter has always been a pretty big deal. Perhaps you never noticed because your family doesn't observe it and you haven't tried to do stuff on Easter (which is not a fixed holiday) as an adult. If anything, stores and other services are open more now on Easter/Good Friday than they used to be. It used to be a pain driving back from visiting my family on Easter Sunday if I left that day because everything was closed by 2, including the gas stations. Not so bad now, though I still make the trip on Monday to be safe.
i_heart_nutella@reddit
I had this realization years ago when I went out shopping on Easter. I think it’s always been like this, I just never paid attention to it.
NoRestForTheWitty@reddit
I’m Jewish, so I empathize, but it’s a big, serious holiday for Christians. The Red Cross is holding a blood drive at my Synagogue, so that’s what I’m doing.
Back when I used to work in jobs that were open on Christian holidays, I used to volunteer to work.
crtclms666@reddit
Jewish shift workers everywhere do the same.
NoRestForTheWitty@reddit
I’m sure I got the idea from my parents or someone else. I was just passing it along to the OP.
klimekam@reddit
Restaurants are open on Easter because Easter brunch is a big deal. A lot of times there’s a special Easter menu or brunch buffet. I feel like it’s one of the biggest restaurant days next to Valentine’s Day.
sarcasticbiznish@reddit
It was huge when I was a kid, less so when I was a younger adult, and now it’s a huge deal again.
I’m sure it has nothing to do with me being a kid in the Christian south , then moving to california and being a college age kid, and then moving to a Catholic area and having nieces and nephews/ friends with young kids!
I think it’s mostly just that my context has changed. Has yours?
FallenAngelina@reddit
I'm GenX and everything used to be closed on Easter except hospital emergency rooms.
Traditional_Trust418@reddit
Easter has always been a big deal everywhere I've ever lived. I don't really celebrate myself anymore, but everyone I know does. It's the most important religious celebration for a lot of people
eapaul80@reddit
I feel like it’s a lesser deal. As we don’t have kids. And we’re not religious. It’s almost not a thing anymore for us
crtclms666@reddit
“Us” being the operative word.
eapaul80@reddit
Sorry, my family.
Tall_Mickey@reddit
It's bigger in that it's become a secular spring festival for many non-religious people. Celebrate the end of winter, the coming of good weather; have a big BBQ with a lot of beer in the backyard, and good times. Humans have held those since forever, whatever religion is around. Winter's over, spring's here, LET'S PARTY.
LastCookie3448@reddit
I certainly hope not.
WhoSaidWhatNow2026@reddit
None of my homies care about Easter beyond the eater egg hunt photo ops.
Tangboy50000@reddit
I was surprised how many offices were closed yesterday for Good Friday. It would have been cool if they had told me Thursday that they weren’t going to be there, but whatever.
mc408@reddit
I agree with you. Big chains used to never close on Easter. I noticed Target's closure myself since I ordered stuff online for pickup from them yesterday, and I saw their large "we're closed for Easter" notification banner.
Far_Silver@reddit
Easter has always been a big deal. It's one of the two most important holidays in Christianity; the other being Christmas.
DankBlunderwood@reddit
I totally agree. I've noticed businesses increasingly shuttering for Easter or offering Easter specials in the last few years. It seems to be accelerating for some reason. Could have something to do with the growth of nondenominational churches and the decline of mainline churches, but that's just spitballing.
FallenAngelina@reddit
I'm GenX and everything used to be closed on Easter.
CryinginaCalikingbed@reddit
It’s always been a big deal, but I’ve actually seen less marketing, decorations, and items out this year.
LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit
It’s always been this way. I suspect you just haven’t noticed it before because it didn’t inconvenience you.
HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit
I've always had Good Friday and Easter Monday off.
ShortRasp@reddit
It's always been a big deal for practicing Christians and even many who aren't Christians. Businesses sometimes even close on Good Friday for Easter.
WhiskeyDeltaBravo1@reddit
I hope for the day when Zombie Jesus Day isn’t a thing anymore, but too many folks here still believe in fairy tales.
lifeisfascinatingly_@reddit
Easter has always been a big deal here.
Revolutionary-Copy71@reddit
I'm 40, honestly seems to be about as big of a deal now as it's ever been as far as I've ever noticed. And for the big family meal day, in my family and many of my friends families yeah, it's been one of the handful of times a year a big family meal happens. Parks and stuff are always filled with people doing big family BBQs and cookouts and carne asadas, egg hunts and stuff.
Minimalistmacrophage@reddit
Easter is perhaps being pushed more this year because MAGA is in power and retail sales have slumped. Promoting Easter in this climate is good for the bottom line.
punkyspunk@reddit
Typically a lot of places will have Easter off, as well as either Good Friday or Easter Monday. Easter has always been a pretty big deal since it's a major national/religious holiday that families and friends will celebrate together, go to church services, dinners, various celebrations, etc,. Most of the time large hams are the focal point of dinners (like how turkey is usually the choice for Thanksgiving) so it sounds like the shop you tried to go to was capitalizing on ham sales and wanted to focus on that for the weekend
agravain@reddit
the Honeybaked Ham store here had two refrigerated containers behind it for this weekend. never seen them have two containers before.
BUBBAH-BAYUTH@reddit
Easter became bigger for me when we happened to be in Charleston proper over Easter.
We’d planned to do our usual springtime Sunday things. I was worried the whole scene would be a ghost town. NOPE.
Everybody was there in their church clothes and Easter best getting LIT on the rooftop patios. Best Easter ever. Also the day I was like yes this is how I celebrate Easter now.
Duque_de_Osuna@reddit
Not that I have noticed, but it is not a significant holiday to me, so I may be oblivious to it.
WritPositWrit@reddit
Everything is always closed on Easter, you just never noticed.
Extension_Sun_5663@reddit
It depends on whether you're religious or not. Some families who are not still do dinner or bbqs, and just skip church. My dad is elderly and the only family I have left that lives close to me, so I just go fishing with him. Lol
Broad_Tie9383@reddit
I'm noticing it more this year, but I thought it was just me. I'm not sure it's a big change.
merliahthesiren@reddit
Depends on where you live honestly. Easter has felt consistent to me here in California. Its more about candy and decorations. There's less of a religious emphasis on it here.
aceam92@reddit
Easter has always been a huge holiday and it’s one of the holidays when ham is most popular to serve (along with Christmas), so it makes sense that this weekend is like their “Super Bowl”.
Adorable_Dust3799@reddit
Target always closes for Easter
wrabbit23@reddit
In areas of the country that have seasons, it has always been a big deal, both because of its significance to Christians and because it is a natural holiday, being near the beginning of spring and the end of winter.
Much of the US has harsh winters so spring is definitely celebrated. Easter traditions (bunnies and egg hunts) are a part of that. I think it even seeps culturally into warmer parts of the country.
Spiel_Foss@reddit
I am a lifelong non-believer in any religion and I have eaten an Easter meal most of my life. If I have a god, that would be good food, so any excuse will do.
bygtopp@reddit
Costco employee here. Always have been closed on the big ones. Xmas. Thanksgiving Easter. Memorial and Labor Day. Fourth of July. New Year’s Day
Slippery-Pete76@reddit
I think most places have always been closed on Easter. I worked at a Sears in a mall like 20-25 years ago and the mall was always closed on Easter.
ToastetteEgg@reddit
Easter is the biggest ham holiday besides Thanksgiving and Christmas.
nope-its@reddit
More and more things are open near me every year so I’m experiencing the opposite here.
Friendly_Artist4459@reddit
Its a religious holiday
kaywild11@reddit
I think it is about the same as usual. It is a holiday many families get together for. I don't think it has been secularized as much as Christmas but it is still a holiday that will be celebrated by Christians and many others.
Prize_Consequence568@reddit
"Is Easter becoming a bigger deal?"
No.
SmallBeanKatherine@reddit
It's always been pretty big from what I've seen. The eggs and bunnies are mainly kid stuff, but it's always been a day where families get together, have a meal, picnic, or so on.
CoolAbdul@reddit
Nope
Jake_Corona@reddit
No
kjlsdjfskjldelfjls@reddit
Definitely not, here in the states. Feels like any other weekend to me
Claxton916@reddit
It’s the same as it has been in terms of businesses and services, but some people are grandstanding now in my opinion (look how much I love Jesus!!)
JediLincoln14@reddit
I hope not