Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade
December 26, 2008 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Events, Fun for Families & Kids, Just for Fun, Museums, Outdoor Activities, Performing Arts: Theater & Dance, Things to See & Do
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
Party Like it’s Halloween at NYC’s Village Halloween Parade
October 28, 2008 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Events, Fun for Families & Kids, Just for Fun, Outdoor Activities, Things to See & Do
Nobody throws a party like New York City, so if you are anywhere in the area you’ll want to catch the 35th annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.
The Parade emphasizes diversity and family as it brings together the myriad economic, ethnic, social, sexual, and racial components of New York City. Even the NYC Police Department has recognized the Parade for its contribution in making Halloween a safe event, bringing together the community in a creative and playful way.
The parade queues up at 6th Avenue, south of Spring and North of Canal, between 6:30-8 pm. The parade begins 7 pm and …read more
San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade
March 2, 2007 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Events, Outdoor Activities, Things to See & Do
San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade, celebrating the Year of the Boar (Lunar Year 4705), will begin on Saturday, March 3rd at 5:30 pm. The parade will start at 2nd & Market, ending in the heart of Chinatown. This parade is one of the few remaining illuminated Parades in the country, and is consistently named as one of the Top Ten Parades in the World.
This year’s parade promised to be no less spectacular than years past, with over 100 entries that include floats, elaborate costumes, fierce lions, firecrackers, and the newly crowned Miss Chinatown and her court. You won’t want to …read more
Philadelphia’s New Year’s Mummers Parade
December 27, 2006 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Events, Outdoor Activities, Things to See & Do
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
