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 and little gifts.  Both events were filled with pageantry, enthusiasm, and more than a little bit of noise.

Philadelphia got into the act in 1901 with the first official Mummers Parade.  Unofficially large celebrations like this had been going on in Philadelphia for some time even though there were laws prohibiting it.  All that noise and merry-making was deemed too much of a nuisance.  No one was ever convicted of breaking this law, and the revelry eventually became sanctioned.

Since its inception, the Mummers Parade has evolved into a full fledged festival with thousand of capped, capped, and sequined participants strutting their stuff.  Mummers don’t walk, march, or even dance. They cakewalk — a strut that has become closely identified with the Mummers and the parade.

The festivities last for the entirity of New Year’s Day, and much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, is a competition between the Mummers club around the area.  Each club creates a theme, and then develops it with costumes, props, and pageantry that supports the theme.  This is BIG business, and thousands of dollars go into club competitions.  Although there is some money to be won, it’s really all about bragging rights for the entire year!

Parade entries are divided into four divisions: 

1. Comic Clubs focus on satire and ridicule, and poke fun at anyone and everyone.  From the mild to the ribald, anyone can be a target.
2. Fancy Clubs focus on beautiful colors, costumes, and elaborate, themed presentations.  This is pageantry at its finest. (top photo)
3. String Bands focus on a merger of music and costumery into a uniquie kind of band.  You’ll find a variety of strings, glockenspiels, saxophones, accordions and drums, and lots of accompanying dancers.
4. Fancy Brigades focus on performance.  They march in the parade, but are judged during on their intricate dance routines during a later outdoor performance.  (See video below.)

If you’ll miss New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, you can learn a little more about the Mummers at the Mummers Museum (1100 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia).  It looks like one of those quirky museums that never fails to grab my attention.

Image credits:  All from flickr, top Fancy group, costume, clown

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I’m not entirely sure what I expected.  I was certainly romanced by the concept of the bell ““ its historical significance and message of freedom ““ and it remains one of the most identifying symbols of the American Revolution.  It has been an enduring symbol of independence, freedom, and liberty. 

Originally, a bell was cast in London that was to be used at the Pennsylvania State House.  The bell cracked soon after its arrival in Philadelphia, so local craftsmen cast a new one in 1753, weighing a little over a ton, and made predominantly of copper.

The bell rang many times as the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House, mostly for public announcements.  Some notable bell ringings include the 1774 opening of the First Continental Congress, and after the 1775 Battle to Lexington and Concord.  The most famous ringing of the bell occurred on July 8th, 1776, when it called citizens together for the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

A thin crack developed in this bell, and it repairs were required.  On February 22, 1846, the bell rang for a George Washington birthday celebration.  The bell cracked again, this time growing from the top of the previously repaired crack and running to the crown of the bell.  This crack made the bell unusable, and it has not been rung since.

During the late 1800’s, the bell traveled the country, making appearances and fairs, expositions, and local events, in its efforts to heal the country post-Civil War.  In 1915 the bell at last returned home to Philadelphia, where it now rests silently, reminding us of the power and importance of our freedoms, and of the intangible concept of liberty.

Originally the bell was housed in the bell tower at Independence Hall.  In preparation for the American bicentennial celebration, a small glass pavilion was built to showcase the bell.  This facility proved unsatisfactory, and eventually a larger pavilion was created and named the Liberty Bell Center.  When the pavilion was dedicated in 2003, Queen Elizabeth presented a gift of a replica “Bicentennial Bell” that had been cast from the same British foundry as the original one.  That 1976 bell now hangs in Independence Hall.

I went to see the bell on a sunny, but cold, Saturday afternoon.  The line wrapped around the entrance, and down the block.  (It seemed to consist mostly of students on a group trip.)  The line stalled at the security checkpoint, where visitors are required to pass through a metal detector.  This process requires that all coats and jackets be removed, and EVERYTHING removed from pockets, resulting in people having to make numerous attempts to pass through the security screen.

Once through security, you proceed to a lobby area that features a video presentation, exhibits about the creation and history of the bell, along with additional bell artifacts.  After passing through these exhibits, you come to the glass chamber that houses the Liberty Bell, displayed at ground level, and you can look through the windows to see Independence Hall in the background.

The Liberty Bell Center is located on Market, between 5th & 6th.  It is open daily 9 am ““ 5 pm, with extended summer hours.  There is no admission fee.  Not counting the time spent waiting in line, the Liberty Bell Center can be seen in about an hour.  It’s a great family outing, and a chance for the kids to see history, not just read about it.

I did lots of things while in Philadelphia, but from a personal standpoint, seeing the Liberty Bell, a slice of American history, was probably the most important.

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti

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As I planned for the trip, I mentioned to friends that I was going, and asked what they thought I should see and do while I was there. There were two recurring themes: the Liberty Bell, and the movie Rocky.

I was able to see the Liberty Bell, the museum steps that Rocky ran during his workouts, and much more. I’ll be posting about some of the highlights of my Philadelphia trip over the next few weeks. I think you’ll see why the city’s current tourism campaign, “Philly’s more fun when you sleep over” is accurate.

Tomorrow: The Liberty Bell

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I noticed that Sound About Philly has added a new walking and podcast tour, this one called Philly Noir.  It’s a walking tour that covers African American culture, history, and experiences (past and present), and includes food, the arts, history and sports.  There are 11 tour segments, and you can download, and then mix and match them based on your interests and time. 

Here’s a sampling of some of the segments:

• Delilah’s/Geechee Girl Rice Café at 12th Street & Filbert.  Oprah named it the very best spot for macaroni and cheese (in photo).  I LOVE mac ‘n cheese!
• Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame at Spruce Street & Broad.  Hip Hop to Jazz and everything in between, a treasure trove of musicians that put Philadelphia on the music map.
• African American Museum at 701 Arch Street.  Making sure that the African American heritage is not lost ““ to this generation, or to the ones to follow.

Lots of GREAT suggestions that are worthwhile in putting together my own personal tour of Philadelphia.

There are other podcast walking tour options available from Sound About Philly, including some user created tours.  There seems to be something that will appeal to a wide variety of interests.

 If you have any suggestions about what to see and do in Philadelphia, please leave them in the comments.  (For those of you who read my post on Travel Resources for Planning Your Next Trip, this is part of the email phase of the research.)

Photo credit:  flickr

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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 it has become the most authentic folk festival in the world. 

Thousands of people (this year estimated to exceed 15,000), capped and caped, speckled and sequined, strut their stuff as Mummers.  And I do mean strut!  Mummers don’t walk, march, or even dance.  They cakewalk — a strut that has become closely identified with the Mummers and the parade.

The parade is a celebration of the New Year, but it is also serious business.  The revelry only lasts one day ““ but it’s the entire day ““ and it is the culmination of year round work by Mummer clubs to develop a theme, create costumes, build props and rehearse.  It’s all about the competition.  Not for the prize money (which doesn’t begin to cover the cost of parade participation), but about the neighborhood bragging rights for the coming year. 

The parade is divided into four divisions, or troupes:  Comic Clubs, Fancy Clubs, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades. 

The Comics focus on satire and ridicule, and just about any person or institution is fair game.  The Fancies are all about pomp and ceremony, and are known for their beautiful colors, costumes, and elaborate, themed presentations.  The String Bands merge costumes and music in a band that consists of a variety of strings, glockenspiels, saxophones, accordions and drums, along with lots of dancers.  The result is a distinctive strum.  The Fancy Brigades (think lots of Fancies) march in the parade, but are judged during an outdoor performance of complicated and intricate dance routines that follows the parade.

An interesting historical note:  In 1808 legislation was passed in Philadelphia banning the types of celebrations like the Mummer’s Parade.  Leaders felt that such celebrations caused too much nuisance and noise making.  No one was every convicted of charges, and the Mummers Parade remains as festive and noisy as ever.

The Mummers Parade is a great tradition ““ and I’m putting it on my lists of things to see and do.

Photo credit:  (c) Sam Moskovitz/Mummers Museum

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It’s been fun discovering and researching all the events going on during the Halloween season.  Some are just plain fun, while others are scary, unique, or just plain odd.

Here’s one from Philadelphia:

Does the thought of going to prison terrify you?  I know it does me, and I’ve actually spent time teaching adult education classes in a prison.  The clanking of the doors, the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world, and the loss of personal freedom are all frightening and humbling experiences.

So how do you feel about the thought of being in a prison. . . at night. . . with a couple of friends. . . and only a flashlight to guide you?  I don’t know about you, but I’m quaking in my boots! 

That setting is precisely what you’ll find at Eastern State Penitentiary’s haunted house, “Terror Behind the Walls,” and its “Night Watch” attraction.  “Night Watch” participants are given a flashlight (you cannot bring your own), then broken into groups of two or four, and sent out to explore the space on their own.  I’m intrigued, curious, and apprehensive when even the prison employees claim that it’s terrifying to walk through the empty prison alone with only a flashlight.

There are actually four other attractions that are part of “Terror Behind the Walls.”  I just couldn’t get beyond this one!

The penitentiary has a long history of haunted happenings:

Many people believe that Eastern State Penitentiary is haunted. As early as the 1940s, officers and inmates reported mysterious visions and eerie experiences in the ancient prison. And the ghost sightings have only increased since Eastern State was abandoned in 1971.

With the growing interest in paranormal investigation, Eastern State Penitentiary may now be the most carefully studied building in the United States. Dozens of teams visit to explore the site each year.  

This Halloween event runs on select evenings until October 31st.  Reservations are recommended for weekends.

Admission is based on how long you are staying in the prison, which sounds like a special buy your way out of prison program.   $20 for 7-10 pm; $25 for 7-11 pm; $30 7 for pm-midnight.

The prison is located at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, just five blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.   

There is parking available ($10/car) in a secure lot at Broad & Spring Garden Streets (about 12 blocks from the prison).  A trolley takes guests to and from the prison, starting at 6:30 pm; the last trolley leaves the prison a half hour after the last tour.  A storyteller is onboard the trolley telling tales that shed a little more information on the prison’s haunted background, and to get guests in the proper mood for the tour.

Of all the Halloween events that have come across my desk, this one is, by far, the most intriguing to me personally.  Makes me wish that I was closer to Philadelphia!

Photo credit:  Andrew Garn

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If Philadelphia is your plans, you may be interested in the SoundAboutPhilly downloadable audio tours and maps, which focus on “lesser-known city experiences and combine interesting tales, fun facts and lively music to tell the area’s story.” 

Even better ““ they’re FREE!

Here’s the info on the tours now available:

• “History Unplugged” covers 300 years of history, focusing on what you didn’t learn in your American History class.
• “Flavorhoods” covers dining in Philadelphia’s ethnic neighborhoods.
• “My Philly” features recommendations from local Philadelphians.

Additional tours will be rolled out one per month.  Future topics include:  the African American experience in Philadelphia, the Historic District, the inside story of classic Philadelphia spots, and the city’s religious history.

You can listen to the tours online, or download them in their entirety, or in customized segments to match your interests. 

Whether you’re at home planning a trip, or already in Philadelphia looking for information, the audio tours are a good way to get a feel for the city. 

Photo credit:  flickr

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The Saturday afternoon following First Friday, the First Saturday Gallery Tours provides an interactive educational session to help interested people learn about art.

Rather than the large, dare I say “party” atmosphere of the night before, these Saturday afternoons provide a smaller, more intimate setting. You can learn about art from the artists themselves, as well as gallery owners and curators, as they provide lectures, panel discussions, and workshops on the art exhibitions around the city.

Check the Old City Arts website for specific schedules.

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Enjoy and celebrate Philadelphia’s art scene in Old City on the First Friday of every month.  Sponsored by the Old City Arts Association, First Friday is an open house of over 40 of the neighborhood’s galleries, most of them located between Front and Third, and Market and Vine Streets.  Most of the galleries stay open till 9 pm.

It’s a casual atmosphere, so leave all your pretentiousness at home.  Serious art collectors, city dwellers, families and singles all show up for the festivities.  You can check out the art, people, and the restaurants and bars, for a fun evening of culture and entertainment.  The patrons are as eclectic as the galleries, and there’s bound to be something to amuse everyone. 

Oh yeah, and I did I mention free food and drink.  There is no charge for the event, or the receptions. 

First Friday is held year round, rain or shine, on the first Friday of every month.  Hours are 5-9 pm. 

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