A Philadelphia New Year's Day tradition, the annual Mummers Parade -- complete with feathers, banjos, saxophones, glockenspiels, a few political jokes, some cardboard cutouts and the Mummer's Strut -- takes place today, from 10:30am until... well... until its over.I first saw the Mummers Parade around 1952 on the new Dumont Television Network. It was in black and white and was a "live remote" from Philadelphia all the way to my set in New Boston, Ohio. The parade (and the process) was fascinating to me, but I could not understand why adults were dressed this way and jumping around the way they were.
Mummers trace their origins back to the 1700's with odd mixes of Swedish, English, Irish, and German
traditions. It was something like Wassailing, going from neighbor's house-to-neighbor's-house, but with clown make-up on, while playing "Oh, Them Golden Slippers" on a kazoo.
traditions. It was something like Wassailing, going from neighbor's house-to-neighbor's-house, but with clown make-up on, while playing "Oh, Them Golden Slippers" on a kazoo.In the 1800's someone introduced guns to the celebration to "shoot in" the New Year. It was known then as "The New Year's Shooters and Mummers Association." Cooler heads prevailed after 50 years or so and guns were outlawed.
The first organized and officially sanctioned parade was in 1901 and the prizes offered turned it into a competition. Clubs were organized to promote "Mummerism," a blend of fun, satire, costumes, dancing, performance and making people smile. Soon, the Mummers were divided into four categories -- Comics, String Band, Fancies and Fancy Brigades.
The costuming for the Fancy Brigades in recent years has become so elaborate and expensive that their performances have been moved inside the Philadelphia Convention Center.
The budget crunch of our recession has hit the Mummers as well, as the City of Philadelphia and the Mummers Association were in negotiations until the last minute this year to agree on equitably splitting up the costs of putting on the parade. A contemporary and somewhat controversial Philadelphia Icon, Joey Venta of Joey's Cheesesteaks, stepped in at the last moment and threw $40,000 at the problem and the Parade is on (all day and into the night)!
"New Year's Day -- where auld acquaintance be forgot -- unless the results come back positive."
~ Jay Leno
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