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Global holiday: Mummer's Parade
By JOANN GRECO © St. Petersburg Times, published December 24, 2000
The strange group of men gleefully shouts:
That was then. But on this Jan. 1, as the 100th Mummer's Parade wakes up a slumbering, hung-over, freezing-toed Philly, you won't have to look hard to see the remnants of that old tradition. What began as a series of loosely structured neighborhood celebrations in pre-Civil War Philadelphia, then was consolidated into an organized parade, has blossomed into a bona fide spectacle. Thousands of marchers -- arrayed in an astounding assemblage of feathers and sequins, and strutting to a rollicking accompaniment of blaring horns, accordions and banjos -- will cavort in a day-long, city-sanctioned, TV-sponsored affair that awards hundreds of dollars in cash. Loot, professional choreographers, women paraders, banned blackface, even a change in the sacred Broad Street route -- the parade has come to grips with modernity. Basically, though, it remains a camaraderie-soaked, neighborhood-oriented paeon to organized tomfoolery. It is an institution, but one in direct contrast to that other New Year's perennial, the Rose Parade. You will find no corporate floats here, no baton-twirling, miniskirted women, high-stepping in the golden all-American sunshine. "Mummery" is all-American, though, in that it is a a serendipitous melange of ethnic brews, according to Palma Lucas, executive director of Philadelphia's Mummers Museum. "Each group of settlers from Europe brought its own ways of celebrating the New Year," she says. "Nowhere else in the United States did these separate traditions blend." The word "mummer" derives from Momus, Greek god of censure and mockery and, in turn, the medieval French word momeur, a merrymaker in disguise. The official name of the Mummers is actually the Philadelphia New Year's Shooters and Mummers Association, harkening to the 17th-century Finnish and Swedish settlers who discharged their guns at the start of each New Year. British colonists brought with them the tradition of going from house to house, begging cakes and ale for a song and dance. And still later, Italian immigrants added their own flair for exaggerated comedy. The contributions of African-Americans, however, may be the most defining: The famed strut so identifiable with the parade is a spirited rendition of the African-American "cakewalk," a sort of prancing step modified by an occasional backward tilt. And Oh! Dem Golden Slippers, the parade's theme song, comes by way of James Bland, a free black who studied law at Harvard, gave a command performance as a minstrel for Queen Victoria and composed some 700 songs. All of these ethnic influences met and merged in the bustling Philadelphia neighborhood that had sprung up around the Delaware River. Social clubs formed, concentrating along Second Street. Many of the 30,000 members of the approximately 50 Mummers clubs still refer to themselves as "two-streeters," although they may live elsewhere in the city, in the Philadelphia suburbs or even in New Jersey. Twenty clubs are indeed located on Second Street -- and after the parade ends, marchers descend onto the South Philadelphia blocks, dipping in and out of private homes that have thrown open their doors, for food, drink, and gossip. The parade is certainly the focal point and culmination of any Mummer's year. But the marching is a small part of the Mummering. On Jan. 2, club members are back at work, analyzing the strength and weaknesses of their performances. Soon after, the members will choose a theme for next year and then begin fundraising efforts. "The clubs are all nonprofit organizations," says Lucas, "and the parade is a very expensive proposition. A club has to raise anywhere between $16,000 and $100,000 each year." (Ostrich plumes alone, purchased in the thousands, cost $36 a dozen.) As the weather cools down, activity heats up as sequins are stitched, numbers are rehearsed, and feathers are fluffed. Clubs are divided into four divisions: the comics, which are the oldest clubs; the popular string bands, the only clubs which play their own live music; the fancies, with their "frame suits" -- enormous structures that rest on a wearer's back -- and the fancy brigades, the newest division, with the most intricate choreography, largest props and most lavish floats. A byzantine set of rules, regulations and judging criteria governs the competition. The result is a happy jamboree of imaginations let loose and inhibitions tossed aside. Take "Clowning With the Classics," an Anvil Chorus featuring over-sized rubber hammers knocking the noggins of each clown, emphasized by the peal of a glockenspiel. Or, "Ferko Plays the Palace," an accordion- and banjo-fueled, vaudevillian blast to the past that captured first place for the Ferko String Band a few years back. That band is named after Joseph Ferko, the original dancing captain, fond of aphorisms such as "The road to a friend's house is never long'." Ferko died of a heart attack in 1964 -- at an awards ceremony honoring his 50 years as captain. "Like any folk art, Mummery is passed down through families," says Lucas of the Mummers Museum. "Children are brought into the parade by their parents, and many stay into adulthood." That may account for the eternal, ageless energy that streams through the parade. "When you get as old as me," says one old-timer, "you realize that being a Mummer has helped to preserve you. It has kept you young in spirit." -- JoAnn Greco is a freelance writer who lives in Philadelphia. If you goTHE MUSEUM: It is fitting that a museum and library dedicated to the sights and sounds of Mummery be located on Second Street, in the heart of the action. After checking out the costumes showcased in the Winners' Circle, visitors proceed up the red-carpeted stairs to the second level, where a digital clock counts down the days, hours and minutes to next New Year's Day Although much of the museum is charmingly stuck in the mid-'70s -- Frank Rizzo is still mayor here -- historical tidbits such as the contribution of H. Bart McHugh, a Philadelphia publicity agent who dreamed up the idea of a city-sponsored parade, remain timeless. Elsewhere, score cards, club submissions and documents attempt to shed some light on the complicated processes surrounding the competition. A joyous musical exhibition allows visitors to hear recordings of each major player -- banjo, bells, accordion, sax, drums, separately. Then hit one last button to revel in the whole riotous blend. The Museum is located in South Philadelphia on Second and Washington streets. Call (215) 336-3050 for further information. THE SPECTACLE: This year, the Mummers Parade begins at Fifth and Market, near Independence Hall, at 6 a.m on Jan. 1, and proceeds to City Hall, at Broad and Market, about a half-mile away, where judging stands have been set up. The parade is most decidely an all-day event. Tickets are needed for the judging area around City Hall and for the indoor Fancy Brigades show held in the Convention Center. Call (215) 636-1666 for parade tickets and information. STAYING THERE: These hotels are close to parade points: The Omni. Near Independence Hall and the start of the parade, at Fourth and Chestnut; (215) 925-0000. The Marriott. If you are lucky, you can watch the parade from your room window overlooking Market Street. 1201 Market St.; (215) 928-2159. The Ritz-Carlton. The city's newest, located in a gleaming former bank building near City Hall and the end of the parade. 121 S Broad St.; (215) 735-7700. Hotel Sofitel. Another new hotel, this one with a French flair. Great location if you plan to indulge in some post-holiday shopping. 17th and Sansom streets; (215) 569-8300.
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