Akkam’s Razor

Apparently “Mummering” is a pagan tradition dating back to 400 BC as the Roman Festival of Saturnalia, with Celtic and Druidic influences. Rowdy (another proud Philadelphia tradition) groups parading on New Years Day goes back to Revolutionary times.

Mumming is as American as Apple Pie, if not moreso. The Mummers Parade, which finds its roots dating to pre-colonial times, resulted from a blend of Northern European, British and African American heritages.

Mumming can be traced back to 1642, forty years prior to William Penn’s arrival. The Swedes and Finns greeted the New Year by visiting neighbors and shooting guns, to which the English and Welsh added by the recitation of standard rhymes and enjoying refreshments. To this the Germans added the Belsnickle, the forerunner of Santa Clause, who spawned additional comic masqueraders. They enjoyed shooting in the New Year as well as riding through Tinicum and Kingsessing, the southern and western sections of the city, disguised as clowns.

Today’s Mummers Parade also had some beginnings in 19th-century traditions as Philadelphia’s Carnival of Horns drew thousands of costumed characters celebrating with a myriad of noisemakers to the area of Eighth and South Streets

Southern plantation life also made significant contributions to today’s New Year’s Day event. Not only does its contribution include “Oh! Dem Golden Slippers,” the Parade’s theme tune composed by Philadelphian James Bland (a famed African-American songwriter) in 1879, but evidence indicates that the famed “Strut” may have been a possible offshoot of the popular 19th-century cakewalk dance.

Until the 1900’s, almost all masqueraders wore make-shift apparel. However, spirit and imagination provided probable motivations for the revelers to join together in associations to raise money for more elaborate New Year’s costumes.

The Mummers include Comics, Fancies, and String Bands. The parade, as we now know it, dates back to January 1, 1901 as the first official parade.

Other Mummer curiousities:

• The parade was only cancelled twice, in 1919 during WWI, and in 1934 due to financial concerns during the Depression.

• Brass instruments are not allowed in String Bands. I haven’t found a reason why - I suspect it is due to the fatigue that that plagues brass musicians (where as string and woodwind musicians can play for much longer durations.)

• The Comic Brigades get their inspiration from the Greek god Momus, who was kicked out of heaven for making fun of the other gods. Other targets for Comic Brigades included General George Washington and Cooney Cracker, who visage is generally accepted to be transformed into that of Uncle Sam.

• Even more humorously, given Mummerings pagan history, is the similarity to the Christian Passion Plays, which were the telling of biblical stories by street performers.

Link#1 Link#2 Link#3 (sites with good content and bad formatting).

[Updated for clarity and formatting].