Mummers Parade – History

Music; Ambience: “Oh Dem Golden Slippers,” by the Durning String Band

What could bring someone to wear a 300 pound silk costume covered with sequins and ostrich feathers? Well, in Philadelphia, that would be the Mummers Parade. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Mumming traces its origins to the medieval tradition of Christmas time pageants and plays. The word comes from the German “mumme” – meaning mask or disguise. The Philadelphia parade goes back to New Year’s masquerade balls from the 1800’s. Jack Cohen is the curator of the Mummers Museum.

JC: “Well, the mummers are a group of men and women who came into this area — they were originally called the New Year’s shooters because they would shoot guns out to celebrate the New Year. They would have the custom of visiting neighbors on New Year’s week and the neighbors would give them cakes and actually put the cakes in the cake wagon, proceed up the street. At midnight they would count the cakes — whoever had the most cakes won first prize. Then eventually, in the late 1800’s, they were divided into what we call clubs, and the Mummer clubs would go down as a whole unit into the lower part of South Philadelphia, perform a skit, and be rewarded with food and drink. Later on it became prize money. And around 1901, the city of Philadelphia started the parade with the Mummers to celebrate the opening of city hall.”

JM: The first Mummers Parades at the beginning of the century were only two hours long. These days Philadelphia’s New Year’s parade runs for ten hours. Please visit our website at pulseplanet.com. Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.

Mummers Parade - History

The flamboyance of the Mummers' Parade arose from the grand masquerade balls of Philadelphia society in the 1800's.

Air Date:01/02/2015

Scientist:

Transcript:

Mummers Parade - History

Music; Ambience: "Oh Dem Golden Slippers," by the Durning String Band

What could bring someone to wear a 300 pound silk costume covered with sequins and ostrich feathers? Well, in Philadelphia, that would be the Mummers Parade. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Mumming traces its origins to the medieval tradition of Christmas time pageants and plays. The word comes from the German "mumme" - meaning mask or disguise. The Philadelphia parade goes back to New Year's masquerade balls from the 1800's. Jack Cohen is the curator of the Mummers Museum.

JC: "Well, the mummers are a group of men and women who came into this area -- they were originally called the New Year's shooters because they would shoot guns out to celebrate the New Year. They would have the custom of visiting neighbors on New Year's week and the neighbors would give them cakes and actually put the cakes in the cake wagon, proceed up the street. At midnight they would count the cakes -- whoever had the most cakes won first prize. Then eventually, in the late 1800's, they were divided into what we call clubs, and the Mummer clubs would go down as a whole unit into the lower part of South Philadelphia, perform a skit, and be rewarded with food and drink. Later on it became prize money. And around 1901, the city of Philadelphia started the parade with the Mummers to celebrate the opening of city hall."

JM: The first Mummers Parades at the beginning of the century were only two hours long. These days Philadelphia's New Year's parade runs for ten hours. Please visit our website at pulseplanet.com. Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Science Foundation. I'm Jim Metzner.