Tuesday, January 1, 2019

NEW YEAR'S MUMMERY


Once again, Philadelphia ushers in a new year with the rip-roaring spectacle that is the Mummers Parade. The over-the-top procession steps off for its 119th year on New Year’s Day, bringing more than 10,000 outlandishly dressed mostly men, some women, children and drag queens to the all-day parade and party on Broad Street between City Hall and Washington Avenue.


The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia each year, and it is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. Local clubs ,usually called "New Years Associations", compete in one of four categories ,comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades. They prepare elaborate costumes, performance routines, and moveable scenery, to challenge any drag show for sure, and which take months to complete. The parade traces back to mid-17th-century roots, blending elements from Swedish, Finnish, Irish, English, German, and other European heritages, as well as African heritage.





The Mummers Parade is one of Philadelphia’s longest-running traditions of the city, and has been partying their way into the new year at the Center City procession, which today features more than 10,000 Mummers embroiled in noisy camaraderie and a competition for local bragging rights, and make up more than 40 organized clubs that fall under one of five themed groups: Fancies, Comics, Wenches, String Bands and Fancy Brigades. The groups work all year to create lavish costumes and plan choreography that they present to the masses along Broad Street every New Year’s Day.Each division knows its role: The Comics and Wench Brigades satirize issues, institutions and people; the Fancies impress with glamorous outfits that rival those of royalty; the String Bands play banjoes, saxophones, percussion and other reed and string instruments; and the Fancy Brigades produce tightly choreographed theatrical extravaganzas to rival even Broadway productions Philadelphia’s 119-year-old drag-ful New Year’s Day parade now embraces and features genuine drag queens, members of the well-heeled Miss Fancy Brigade Association.
A grand old tune.  
But yours's truly is with guest watching the spectacle from home, as we will be having another New Year's tradition... my annual Pork and Sauerkraut dinner for good luck.  So a Happy New Year to you , let's start the year off right shall we? A song with a true message.


50 comments:

  1. my pork roast was started at 9a in the crock pot.

    a blog friend of mine is marching in today's parade: https://godsrbored.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-mummers-parade-survives.html

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    1. Cap Chasen1/01/2019

      I will have to check that out, I enjoy mummers history.

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    2. It's smelling here......

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  2. Happy New Year again Mistress!!! I love the festive header up there!! Yes, the Mummers rule the city today. I think their history is very interesting, but haven't been to the parade in 10 years now. It's quiet something.

    Simply wonderful clip! Unfortunately we will never see life this way anymore. We've lost class, manners, and decency and all that superb talent. God bless those days and those of us who remember and hold onto them!

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  3. 🎶Oh dem Golden Slippers✨🎵

    I love the Mummers Parade!!! I be heading out to watch the String bands, my favorite. My sis is making the pork and krat.


    Happy New Years!

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  4. An all-day street party? Sounds good! Happy New Year, Mistress!

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    1. currently windy, partly sunny, and 61F down here at 12:20p. GREAT day for the parade!

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  5. This is gorgeous!!! I need to see this one day. I do watch part of it up here. I stream it on the net. Looks so fun.

    My friend, thank you for being the way you are. Thank you for the love, caring and goodwill and the daily visual delights that always you've showed us.

    Happy New Year, dear...love the header too. I feel very festive.

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    1. those fireworks is what happens when the mistress ate to many food and beans last night and backed into the corner near the firecrackers.

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  6. Ohh this looks like tons of fun! It’s chilly here in Chi so I hope it’s better in Pilly! And pork and kraf sounds yummy!
    XoXo

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    1. Sixpenece- it is gorgeous here today. Sunny and mild 54 degrees. I have my windows open.

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    2. the mistress's pork and sauerkraut dinner is excellent. I know there's a joke there somewhere.

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  7. Wow that looks like fun! Enjoy yourself today and try to behave yourself, oh wait... who am I kidding... enjoy yourself! :)

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  8. Wow! and so impressed with the folks who put in
    all the work and practice for the parade. They
    make life joyous. xoxoxo :-)

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  9. Oh Them Golden Slippers and Alabama Jubilee always remind me of Center City Philadelphia Mummers on New Year's Day. Great post!

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  10. Happy New Year Mistress!!

    Greta post. The Mummers Parade is probably the one thing I miss more than anything else from Philly. I have never seen a city so close knit, spreading cheer like that. But what was impressive was a guy I know was a Mummer, said most had family members in the Mummers for generations. Now that's cool

    Enjoy the parade there...Im streaming it. Who knows, maybe I'll move back. And can I smell your pork?

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  11. Cap Chasen1/01/2019

    Oh yes...not New Years without the Mummers! And your dinner sound lovely. My grandmother used to make that on the day for good luck.

    And that song clip for the new year...perfect.THAT...was ENTERTAINMENT! No small feat to consider the logistics, the timing, and making it all work. Steve Allen claims to have written 1000 songs, but here's one that he hit right out of the park.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Cap!!! I should have been living back then.

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  12. It's not NYs day if you don't hear the mummers playing Oh them golden slippers...:)

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    1. HELL YEAH! your NYE concert last night was FABU, josh!

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  13. First off...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

    I was so glad you did this post. You make the Mummers part of my tradition now every year. I can always look forward to something of intrests here.

    And third your chosen song to greet the new year. Absolutely incredible clip. I'm 70, loved all these folks...especially Steve! Smock! Smock! Thanks for posting....this is a treasure.

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  14. Feliz Año Nuevo! ¡ Ama a tu amante!

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    1. You cute thing you....but....TRANSLATOR!!!!!!!!!

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    2. happy new year! love you lover!
      (google translate is your friend!)

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  15. Mistress, is that you in the huge red plume outfit strutting the streets?!?!?! Looks like something you'd wear.

    Happiest dear

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    1. Does rather resemble my sleeping gown doesn't it?

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  16. Here's to wishing you a wonderful New Year full of laughter, adventure, and good times! Cheers and Best wishes to you and yours.

    I love the mummers too. How great to see straight men in lame, sequins and plumes!

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  17. I hope you have a fantastic New Year's Eve. I haven't been out in a couple years, and hubby and I spent it at home and today, stuffing our faces with honeybaked ham and all the trimmings. MOOOO! Love the post..very cool history. Philly is a great city.

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  18. I should thank you for your blog, it always makes my day! Happy New Year my friend! May the new year be brighter and more adventurous. I too loved the last clip.

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  19. You aren't kidding about a drag show!!! Their a great example of including all. I had a room mate who used to talk about this. What a fun city you have.

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  20. It looks fabulous! And it's hard to impress a New Orleanian when it comes to costumes.:) I need to see that someday. Philadelphia is sure a swell city and one of the friendliness I have visited

    Happy New Year!

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    1. That it is Scarlett!!!!! Happy New Year!

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  21. Is pork and sauerkraut really a thing? Ick! My late mother-in-law, used to cook chitlins, black eye peas, collard greens and head cheese (don't go there) every new years. I didn't know it was a luck thing. I thought chitlins were just in bloom in January :) Duke Balder wouldn't touch the stuff. Yay, more for me!
    I don't do parades. Too crowded in person, too boring on television. That there Mummers thing does look colorful, though.

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    1. Pork and sauerkraut is big business here in PA for New Year's day. So good. I tend to make mine spicy. I can't do chitlins dear...I don't fare well with organs..at least not that variety!!!!! I usually mpany my meal with mashed taters, garlic Brussel spouts for the green and cranberry sauce.

      Hope your enjoying your day my sweet friend.

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    2. Well, I was enjoying the quiet with BH, until I realized that bag of mini peanut butter cups I was munching on, is sugar free! Serving size is three. I think I ate at least ten. I will be getting intimately acquainted with my bathroom soon. So worth it though!

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    3. oh lard, gurl! don't fart!

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    4. @Anne Marie- Too late! Two dogs and a hubby have left the room! Well, I suppose that's one way to get a little peace.

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    5. Talk about crop dusting....it's like the Lawrence Welk show here with all the bubbles. It's gonna be a long night.....

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  22. Happy New Year to the Casa! Your meat and feast sound so good!* rubs self* If you like the Mummer's Parade, you must read Thomas Muldoon's Smoking in Bathrooms! Hilarious book. It's also nice to see the Mummers continue. I can actually stream it here. I saw some...looked to be a real crowd pleaser.

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    1. Thanks for the fresh tip, I'll have to look into that book.

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  23. What time is dinner? I will be right there. And The Start of something big? Is this in reference to your junk?

    Happy New Year cutie

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  24. Great music. I can't believe I have never ever seen the Mummers Parade! I didn't live nearby (NYC) for the entire 119 years, but you'd think I still might have found ONE year that would have worked!

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    1. That doesn't surprise me in the least. When I lived in NYC years ago, it amazed me how many never, ever left the city. You'd thought there was a wall around the city. Who knew there was a whole big world out there?

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  25. Greeting from Amsterdam dear! We had a lovely time in the Red Light District. Oh dear, that sounds dirty doesn't it? Well,Happy New Years to you, I wish you beauty, creativity, joy, health, wealth and countless fulfilled wishes. We sure don't have anything like the Mummers here.

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  26. I see you closet got raided again Mistress!

    Happy new Year!!! Did you get porked yet?

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  27. I just saw a video from the Mummers parade on HuffPo where they had something on Trump's pee pee tape. It was quite hilarious.

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    1. Yes they did. There was a couple acts surrounding his antics.

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!