The term “Sunday best” clothes refers to the habit of people to wear their best clothes when they go to church on Sundays, which indicates that most people consider the weekly ritual to warrant more attention than other weekly activities. However, one’s “Sunday” clothes may not be special enough when it comes to important religious occasions such as Easter and Christmas, when picking the right dress for church becomes more than the usual routine.
Easter is the season in which Christians celebrate Advent, which is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday, which marks the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony which is why people buy new clothes for the occasion. However, the symbols of Easter (such as Easter eggs and the Easter rabbit) are of non-Christian origin, signifying spring and abundance, which is why the colors of Easter are always bright and spring-like. When picking the right dress for church for your girls during the Easter season, go for the frilly and happy dresses in feminine colors because it marks the joy of living and rebirth.
For many Catholics, the time to wear your Christmas clothes is during midnight mass just before Christmas day. In the Philippines, where the people are mostly Catholic, this is called the Simbang Gabi or literally “Night Mass” followed by the Noche Buena (“good night”) which is the Christmas feast. In other countries, church-goers celebrate Christmas on Christmas morning, which is also when they open their gifts. In picking the right dress for church, red and green are usually chosen because they signify the colors of the season. Superstition dictates the use of polka dot designs because it signifies prosperity, but overall people choose gay designs and colors to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus Christ.
In ordinary times, picking the right dress for church need not stray too far from the kind of dresses chosen for special occasions. Most Christian considers the attending of church services as important enough to warrant the wearing of their “Sunday best.”
