Oh to be a Mummer, now that New Year’s is almost here!
This is the 103rd year for Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade, and this is one of those festivities that sound like so much fun.  I’m hoping that a few of my Philly readers chime in here and let me know if it’s as much fun as it sounds.  (Kelly?  Caroline?  Anyone?)
The history of the Mummers goes back to the Roman Festival of Saturnalia.  Latin laborers wore masks and marched around giving gifts.  There was also a Celtic version that was a little bit more like trick-or-treat, featuring costumes …read more

For those readers who’ll be in Philadelphia over the New Year, you won’t want to miss the 102nd New Year’s Day Mummers Parade.
So who are the Mummers?  The forerunners appear to date back to 400 B.C. and the Roman Festival of Saturnalia.  In that era, Latin laborers marched in masks through a day of satire and gift exchange; the Celtic version was a variation of the “trick-or-treat” theme.  Since that time, the bacchanalia of New Year’s celebrations have taken many twists and turns, but hthe revelry and enthusiasm of its origins remains.
The first “official” Philadelphia Mummers Parade was held in 1901, and …read more