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For many boys the occasion sometimes required a new suit--usually a dark suit that could be worn for best after the First Communion ceremony. White suits were also purchased for boys, becoming popular in the 1920s. Suit styles and colors varied greatly from country to country. Boys in some European countries might wear sailor suits or cassocks. However more common was the purchase of a new suit that could be worn for other special events. In recent years the trend in many countries had been away from suits to simplier outfits--especially for the boys. First Communion especially for boys attending Catholic schools was often done as a class event. The school woul commonly set guidelines for the boys. They might also wear part of their school uniform which would mean that an expensive outlay was not required.
For many boys the occasion sometimes required a new suit--usually a dark suit that could be worn for best after the First Communion ceremony. I'm not sure when parents began buying new suits for a boys' First Communion. For many Catholics such an expenditure was not possible until income levels began to rise in the late 19th century. Kneepants suits were common, but after the turn of the 20th century knicker, short pants, and long pants suits were also worn. White suits were also purchased for boys, becoming popular in the 1920s. The white suits were popular in America, I'm less sure about other countruies. Suit styles and colors varied greatly from country to country. Perhaps more common than the whaite suit was the purchase of a dark suit that could be worn for other special events.
We see some boys in Europe doing their First Communion in sailor suits. Al least we see quite a number of boys in the photographic record wearing sailor suits. This seems to have been especially popular in Belgium and France. We see this especially with Belgium. This may reflect a social class bias in the photographic archive. We are less sure for France,. We see some French boys wearing saiklor suits, but for some reason out French archive is not as large as younmight expect for a major country. We don't see this much in England where we do have a substantial archive. Sailor suits for First Communionn was not as common in America and like England we have a substantial photographic record. We see quite a number of children doing First Communion, but they are mostly wearing standard suits with decorative elemens like sleeve ribbons. Again there may be social class factors at play. Most American Catholics were part of the working class, but the American working class was substantially betteb off than than the European working-class during thev 19th and much of thev20th cebntury. Amerucan Catholics benefitted fromm higher wages and living standards. These trends contunued into the inter-War era. After World War II we see far fewer boys wearing sailor suits for First Communion. An exception was Spain where we still see boys wearing sailor suits for First Communion in the 21st century. This seems to be a special Spanish tradition. In the 20th century, boys commonly wore sailor suits, especially the early-20th century. This it was not a special First Communion outfit.
Again HBC has noted boys wearing monks' cassocks in France and Spain. This was generally the case where the boys attended schools taught by monks.
While cassocks became a common First Communion outfit for boys, smockks were not. MaNy boys in Catholic countries did wear smocks to school, but they were not normally worn for First Communion even though First Communin services were organized at Catholic schools. The smock was seen as a utilitarian, every day garment. We do note one boy in an unidentified portrait which we believe is Belgian.
In recent years the trend in many countries had been away from suits to simplier outfits--especially for the boys. In the past this might be the case at schools with many low-income students. Today it is becoming a trend for boys of all income levels.
First Communion especially for boys attending Catholic schools was often done as a class event. The school woul commonly set guidelines for the boys. They might also wear part of their school uniform which would mean that an expensive outlay was not required.
Boys had various accessories for their First Communion. Odten they wore a ribbon adornment on their sleeves. I have few details as to just what this represented. A French Canadian reader tells us, "I talked with a friend of mine about the armband and also this kind of ribbon. These were two distinctive aspects of the communion outfit. Even today, for any rally, we put on such a ribbon or a medal for showing our membership. About armband, it could signifies that, like in the time when wearing an armor, this left hand armband could be a symbol of a kind od defense against evil. I have no more information about that. I don't know more but I will ask for at the faculty of theology." These arm bands seem more common in France and related countries (Belgium and French Canada) than in America and England, at least in the First Communiin portraits we have noted. A rossary and Bible were also common accessories.
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