Mummers 565 (2)

It happens in Philadelphia every New Year’s Day, and has been happening since the 1800s. The Mummers Parade. Over 10,000 marchers in four divisions parade through the city. My favorite division is the String Bands. The elaborate costumes, music, and routines get the entire street clapping and dancing.

There has been controversy with the parade through the years. Women were not permitted to participate until the 1970s, and sometimes the themes chosen by the different clubs are a bit questionable, but nothing has stopped it yet. Each year, these groups of working-class folks don sequins and feathers and do the “Mummers Strut” down Broad Street.

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