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Posted on 01/01/2020 9:23:58 AM PST by Albion Wilde
The famous Philadelphia yearly New Year's celebration — the Mummers Parade. This is the oldest parade in the U.S. It is a European folk tradition that started in the 17th century or before with Swedish and British immigrants colonial Philadelphia.
There are several divisions, including Comics, Fancies and String Bands, with costumes most elaborate, often including imported ostrich feathers from Australia.
It goes on most of the day. At this time, the Comics are still competing.
Here's the web site again: https://phl17.com/live/
Watching it but it does keep freezing. The String Bands start at 1pm EST!
They used to be very un PC - that has disappeared under the obama regime.
Long ago, and having been a newcomer to the region, I went once in person. I left not having a clue as to what it was about and remain so to this day.
Ah, the memories.
Just waiting on the string bands now.
HNY!
Check out the documentaries I posted above.
Don’t worry; soon enough the LGBTETC and trans mafia will demand entry and give it tons of meaning.
The fights over racism and sexism started as far back as the 70s. For those who don't know, the original parades back in the day were only males, often dressed comically as females (but not in drag style), and because they were private clubs, they often excluded persons of color. Those "traditions" were changed, as I recall from my Philly days, decades ago.
I'm unaware what the Obama years may have brought, but if you know any particulars, 2banana, please let us know.
Typical "female impersonator" Mummer costume:
Mummer "dresses" on men
Yarn wigs
Parasols, and gold-painted shoes
Ping!
The announcers just said that George Washington “received Mummers at his house; he loved them”—presumably when he was staying in Philadelphia during the formation of the Constitution. Mummery itself is an old European tradition, and maybe some came to see him in DC or Mount Vernon — does anyone know more about this? Books have been written about the Philly mummers.
U.S. President George Washington carried on the official custom of New Year’s Day calls during the seven years he occupied President’s House in Philadelphia. The Mummers continued their traditions of comic verse in exchange for cakes and ale. Small groups of up to twenty mummers, their faces blackened, went door to door, shooting and shouting, and adapting the English Mummer’s play by replacing the character of “King George” with that of “General Washington.”[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade
Hi, hon! HNY to you, too, and your lovely spouse! They have a nice day for “da Prade”!
Thanks for the history! Amazing to picture those days with our first great president!
yo
better than the single digits I remember with no fondness
I was in Philly for NBC Warfare School at the Navy Base in 1968...Spent New Years Eve in Tun Tavern II on the base and New Years morning, someone asked if anybody was sober, we could go downtown and see some parade...
I staggered downtown with some guys and when I saw this, I thought I was still wasted...I thought maybe I was hallucinating or something....
Weirdest and most interesting parade EVER!!!!
Perfect!
That steel drum brigade (that’s new!) doing “Fly, Iggles, Fly!”
I see a bunch of apparently cross-dresser drag impersonators now performing with posters of the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. So I guess that’s something new since I left town before the gay overthrow of City Council.
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