(METRO) When celebrating Easter, many Christians don their best apparel to attend church services and family gatherings. On Easter Sunday, gentlemen often put on their best suits and women their fanciest dresses. Children, too, wear formal clothing on Easter Sunday. Girls in particular tend to wear an item of interest that seems to only appear once per year.

Bonnets are part of the Easter attire for many girls, and even some women. Bonnets are part of long tradition of wearing new clothes on Easter that originated in parts of Europe, such as Great Britain.

In fact, the tradition even dates back to Shakespearean times, as an “Easter suit” is referenced in “Romeo and Juliet.” According to some historians, there was a notion that ill-luck would affect a person who did not have something new to wear on Easter, and the bonnet is an element of newness that fits the bill for many young girls and women.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that the Easter bonnet gained popularity in the ...