The White House Easter Egg Roll Used to Get a Little Crazy

The White House Easter Egg Roll has been happening since 1878, thanks to President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy Hayes, who hated liquor but still enjoyed a party.

Hope she enjoyed rabble, too, because those early White House Easter Egg Rolls got a little bit crazy, judging by these old photos. The thing looks less like a celebration of Easter and more like Andrew Jackson inviting 20,000 citizens to the White House for some whiskey-laced punch in 1829.

Here some street urchins prepare to melee in 1929, as bloodthirsty flappers look on. Well, there was a Depression on; what’s a few broken bones when lunch is at stake?

This police officer arrested a troublemaking urchin in 1929. Or possibly he was rescuing a lost child frightened by the brouhaha. Who can be sure?

Still, it wasn’t all mobs, as this excellent Egg Roll through the years photo gallery from the White House Historical Association shows. There were also maypoles!

The White House Easter Egg Roll really does involve rolling eggs, which is not an intuitive act. Some say it is “connected to the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ‘s tomb when he was resurrected,” which sounds a lot like somebody in the church office stretching to make a crazy activity sound perfectly respectable for Sunday School class.

These days the White House Easter Egg Roll is less freewheeling and more instructive. Last year President Obama promoted reading by sharing Where the Wild Things Are with gathered kids.

The First Lady also promoted her #GimmeFive fitness program. It was all very healthy and practical-minded. No whiskey-laced punch was served.

…although anyone might feel a little bit Elwood P. Dowd-ish after seeing a 6-foot Easter Bunny at the event. When even the Easter Bunny is pledging allegiance to the flag, maybe it’s time for a little less organization and more whimsy after all.