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Easter Sunrise Services: A Brief History

Easter sunrise services have been held for centuries. According to Wikipedia, the earliest recorded sunrise service was held in 1732 in Germany.

Easter sunrise services – often coupled with an early morning breakfast – have also been an American tradition since the 1700s. The Moravian Church Easter sunrise service, held annually since 1772 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has grown to be one of the largest Easter services held in the country.

Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, North Carolina), 16 April 1911, page 1

In 1937, more than 35,000 braved the cold weather to attend the Easter sunrise service near Lawton, Oklahoma.

Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Texas), 1 April 1937, page 10

Like Christmas Eve services that are often held at midnight in churches across the country on December 24th, church congregations have gathered for Easter sunrise services before dawn on Easter morning – often at beaches, parks, atop hills and even in cemeteries.

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The congregation is often positioned so that they are facing the east and will see the sun rising during the service. It is customary to erect a cross at the service, like this 2007 Easter sunrise service held by Littlefield Memorial Baptist Church in Rockland, Maine.

Photo: 2007 Easter sunrise service, Rockland, Maine. Credit: Jp498 at English Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons.

GenealogyBank wishes you and yours a very happy Easter.

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