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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
Social Environment Field Study: The Easter Egg Hunt
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
April 5th 2015
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to descibe a recent community event that my family attended. We awoke at
5:30 am to make the 3 hour drive to Newry, Maine, to attend a public Easter Egg Hunt at the Sunday
River Ski Resort. Our son is 12 years old and therefore, this was most likely the last year he will be
able to participate in a public Easter Egg Hunt. When we arrived to the event, it had just begun to snow.
It quickly intensified and our son decided he did not wish to hunt for eggs in the snow. We decided to
stay and use the opportunity to observe the crowd using one of the sociological perspectives. This
paper was written based on the observations that we were able to make of the people and how they
interacted during the event. Using the functionalist perspective, this paper will also answer the
following questions: Why did Easter Egg Hunts begin?, Why do they still happen?, What are the
manifest functions?, What are the latent functions?, and How can stability be maintained or restored?
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
Easter egg hunts are a modern tradition that many parents continue to do, especially with the
younger children. On Easter Day, children “hunt” for the colored or plastic hard-boiled Easter eggs that
are hidden by the “Easter Bunny” (parents). Many communities, businesses, and churches will put on
public Easter egg hunts during the days that surround the holiday in order to encourage the families
within the community or area to come together in celebration of the Easter holiday. These events are
usually targeted towards the families that have children between the ages of 2-12, but all ages are
welcome to join the community in celebration. Easter egg hunts can have attendees from various racial,
ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Social class can influence the material and non-material cultural
aspects that are often associated with the Easter holiday and traditions and the social structure or
framework may influence the way people interact with each other. Social inequality, stratification,
devience, and social control are factors that many affect the social order of a particular event. When
viewed from the functionalist perspective, the data is analyzed by asking questions about the origin of
the event and why it still exists, the manifest and latent functions that may occur, and how stability or
social order can be maintained or restored.
The Easter egg hunt analyzed was a public event located at the Sunday River Ski Resort in
Newry, Maine. The purpose of the event was to bring the community and its families out to enjoy an
Easter egg hunt in celebration of Spring and the Easter holiday. The functionalist would point out that
one of the manifest function or intented consequence of inviting the community out to this free event is
to bring more customers to the Ski Resort that may spend money on lift tickets for skiing or
snowboarding after the Easter egg hunt. Recognized as a single day on the Christian calender, the
actual day that Easter falls on may vary from year to year between March 22nd and April 25th; it is the
first Sunday following a full moon that occurs after March 21st (History.com Staff, 2009). Easter is
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
celebrated in almost every country, however the date(s) observed may differ ("Easter Around the World
- Easter Celebrations & Traditions Across the World," n.d.). Depending on the geographical area,
culture, or religion, the type of festivities and/or traditions may be very different; there may be
attendees of many different ages, sex, races, and ethnicities. At this particular event, the demographics
included males, females, and children of all ages from infant to older adult. The actual Easter egg hunt
participants were between the ages of 2-12, split into two separate age groups. There were a lot of
people who appeared to be European American or Canadian, however since it is very difficult to
classify someone based on looks alone, these people could have been Hispanic, African American, or
Asian. The functionalist would analyze this information by looking at the “big picture”; they would not
focus on the individual characteristics of each person (Henslin, 2013). They would focus on
understanding the function or reason for the Easter egg hunt tradition and use the information to draft a
plan that would maintain or restore stability and social order.
The functionalist perspective looks at a subject or event as the “big picture” and seeks to
determine the origin of the event and why it still exists, the manifest and latent functions, and how to
maintain or restore stability or social order (Henslin, 2013). The exact origin of Easter is not known
and the explanations may differ depending on the religion, society, or geographical area you live in. In
the Christian society, Easter is a celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead and the 40 days
prior to Easter Sunday is Lent, which is when a person takes the time for reflection and penance to
symbolize the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness alone before starting his ministry
(History.com Staff, 2009). The Easter Bunny is said to have first arrived in America in the 1700s from
the German immigrants as a tradition of a bunny that would lay it's colored eggs into the nests left by
the children the night before. This eventually expanded to include gifts such as chocolate, stuffed
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
animals, and/or sometimes a small toy. Stability can be maintained by current and future generations by
continuing to participate in the traditions and by educating the younger generation of the origin behind
the Easter holiday including the reason for the traditions their society may have. Easter was once
considered primarily a religious holiday, however various folk customs and/or pagan traditions have
now become the standard, including colored Easter eggs, Easter baskets, candy, bunnies, and Easter
egg hunts (History.com Staff, 2009).
The culture, both material and non-material, of an Easter egg hunt may vary based on the social
class or social group a person best identifies with. Culture is defined as the languages, beliefs, values,
norms, and material objects that are passed along from generation to generation (Henslin, 2013). The
Easter egg hunt at the Sunday River Ski Resort had attendees from different towns in Maine, as well as
people from out of state, and people from various social groups and/or social class levels. The parking
lot had mostly newer vehicles that appeared to be well taken care of; this can indicate a working class
or higher level on the social ladder. While the Easter egg hunt itself was free, most people who came
were also planning to purchase lift tickets in order to ski or snowboard after the hunt. These tickets are
$89 for an adult, $69 for a teen, and $57 junior/senior during the winter months (up to April 5th) ("Lift
Tickets | Sunday River," n.d.). The income level of most of the attendees appeared to be in the lower to
upper middle class range. Other material things that were noticed that may indicate culture included the
clothing people wore and the accessories that were brought along. In Maine, it was 24 degrees and
snowing on Easter morning. Instead of Spring dresses and/or suits, the children were wearing snow
suits and boots, winter jackets, warm hats, and winter gloves. They brought along the traditional Easter
baskets and hunted for the traditional plastic Easter eggs, however they also brought their skis,
snowboards, and accessories. Non-material culture includes the beliefs, values, and norms that are
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
usually associated with a specific event or tradition. The overall image of the Easter egg hunt at Sunday
River Ski Resort was reflective of the origin and/or religious side of Easter. The values that were
observed included good manners and a politeness that was mutually shown between all age groups. The
cultural norms at this event were the actual process of children "hunting" for the Easter eggs and the
coming together of a community. There are various factors, including social structure and stratification,
that may alter or impact the way someone presents themselves or the way they may act when they are
interacting with other people.
Socialization is what influences the way a person expresses their emotions and what emotions a
person may feel. Social interaction, or how a person acts when around another person, can be
influenced by each individual contact or by a group as a whole. The parents at the Easter egg hunt
socialized with other parents, even if they would not have socialized if they had met each other in the
store. The children were under their best behavior; they were nice to each other, shared with each other,
helped each other find eggs, waited their turns in conversation, and followed directions. The social
structure, or framework of the event, was a huge influence in the behavior of both the children and the
adults. Social structure consists of culture, social class, social statuses, roles, groups, and social
institutions (Henslin, 2013). The role of parent and child are both groups/roles within a larger social
group and can influence the behaviors, obligations, and privileges that are attached. As a parent, it is
important to continue the cultural traditions of Easter Sunday, Easter egg hunts, and the Easter bunny,
while also educating children of the origin or religious reasoning behind the holiday. This will ensure
that social control and/or stability is maintained. Social control was observed at Sunday River Ski
Resorts' Easter egg hunt, with only a few people deviating from the ideal social norms. Because of the
location of the event and the weather that day, the material components were altered and therefore the
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
non-material components were also altered. The social structure and stratification can also play a factor
in the deviance of social norms. At the Easter egg hunt at the Sunday River Ski Resort, social class was
evident, however people of all social classes seemed to come together in unison to celebrate the holiday
as a community of equality. Social inequality can lead to the deviance of social norms (Henslin, 2013).
Some of the children had newer or more expensive snow gear or Easter baskets and this showed that
there was some social inequality, which is usually due to the differences in income level or social class.
The social norms or behaviors that were observed at the Easter egg hunt included children hunting for
Easter eggs, adults watching the kids hunt for eggs, and parents interacting with other parents. Social
observation is important for understanding and maintaining social control and order for the generations
that are to follow. The functionalist perspective is only one of three ways to look at a social issue and
analyze the information. The best results are achieved by utilizing all three perspectives to come up
with a solution to a particular issue or concern.
In conclusion, modern additions to certain traditions that are passed from generation to
generation, such as the addition of Easter egg hunts or Egg Rolls to the Easter holiday traditions, show
how culture is evolving. Functionalists take the information from a social observation or field study and
analyze it by looking at the "big picture", instead of the individual circumstances (Henslin, 2013). The
material and non-material components of culture are often changing to allow for a new set of "norms"
based on the influence of socialization and the social structure of the actual event or tradition. The
social structure and/or social inequality within a social class can influence the direction or the
behaviors of the attendants and may cause people to deviate from the norms upsetting social control or
stability. With techniques such as, social observation, Sociologists can help maintain or restore social
control and stability.
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Social Environment Field Study
Rebekah Turner
Introduction to Sociology
References:
Easter Around the World - Easter Celebrations & Traditions Across the World. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://easter.fundootimes.com/easter-across-the-world/
Henslin, J. M. (2013). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, Core Concepts, Vitalsource for
Kaplan University, 5th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from
http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781269310987
History.com Staff. (2009). Easter Symbols and Traditions - Holidays - HISTORY.com.
Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols
History.com Staff. (2009). Easter - Holidays - HISTORY.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter
Lift Tickets | Sunday River. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from
http://www.sundayriver.com/winter/tickets-and-passes/lift-tickets
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