i was never much into parades, even as a kid.  they always seem too crowded and uninteresting when there are so many other cool things you could be doing in the city that has everything. . .   then 2 things changed.   1. i got my press pass which allows me to get into open spaces away from the crowds and take photos without someone banging my elbow as i press the shutter button, or waving a paper flag right into the center of my shot.  and 2.,  last year when i discovered that the easter parade isn’t a parade at all!  the easter parade is just a whole lot of people aimlessly wandering around 5th avenue which is closed between 47th and 57th streets for the occasion.  people get all dressed up for the sole purpose of having their picture taken in their best bonnets and it’s crazy fun.  here are some of my observations about the nyc easter parade:

first, the easter bunny looks nothing like the white fluffy one i knew growing up in the suburbs of nj:

second, some people apparently confuse easter with halloween – which i like because halloween is my second favorite holiday, following my birthday:

the creativity is amazing!  everyone wants to be seen and they all want to be photographed which makes a press pass completely unnecessary – when they see a camera, they come to you and pose for a shot.

as you see, the ‘bonnets’ were exceptional which may have made this woman feel like hers wasn’t quite good enough to flaunt, so she just carried her bonnet.

i loved this guy because he had a great bonnet with a troll in it – and he also had awesome eggs.  he hand painted his eggs and filled them all with an intention of love – i love that!

if i were the bonnet judge, these two would have received the 1st runners up award just for being so incredibly cool:

but this lady would have received my vote for first prize.  not only did she have the biggest bonnet, i have to credit her for lugging it around all day with a smile on her face.

subconsciously it may have just reminded me of the meaning of the day.

i hope your day was happy – blessings to all!

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“The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.”
~ Deepak Chopra 

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