Philadelphia: Nobody's sure where Mummers came from. But they know where they're going: Broad Street.

It was icy cold and the dancers were doing a strange jig in the middle of the street. The sun shone brightly but it was like its heat had been stolen.

I felt silly being up at 9am on New Year’s Day, watching these strange Mummers twist and dance and strut. They looked like they had been partying all night and were straggling home in fancy dress. But within a few hours, their small street party was transformed into a blaze of colour and raucous celebrating. The daylong revelry that is the first festival of the US calendar had started.

Mummer Myths

Myths about the Philadelphia Mummers are as diverse as the many immigrants that filled the city from Europe hundreds of years ago. Since they first stepped off the boat in 1803, the Irish have had a profound effect on this city. Many present day Mummers are Irish-Americans and the Philadelphia version of our own straw-masked Wren Boys are very visible and vocal during the parade. Locals dress up in the traditional garb of straw hats, old clothes and rags. Some even blacken their faces with soot, although that is frowned upon nowadays. There are no wrens in America and St Stephen’s little betrayer is nowhere to be seen, but hipflasks abound and there is bound to be a bit of Irish in them.

The Celtic influence is beyond doubt, but considerable debate surrounds the Mummers’ true origin. Some say it is based on the ancient Saturnalia cult in Rome - there is a large Italian population in the city too. Ancient Romans held a wanton carnival in honour of Saturn, the harvest god, just before Christians’ celebrated Christmas (celebrations started around December 17).

Others point to the ‘Second Christmas’ celebrated by Scandinavians. Those who emigrated took the tradition of dancing and singing through the streets to visit their friends on the day after Christmas, shooting off their guns en route. Their raucous influence may be seen in the pageant’s official title: The Philadelphia Shooters and Mummers Parade.

Mumming Plays

Medieval German plays and English Mumming events have also been incorporated into the present-day Philly extravaganza. The origin of the word Mummery is even in dispute, as it could have come from the German word for mask or perhaps be linked to Momus, the Greek God of Mockery.

The 15,000 participants that march down Broad St every New Year’s day come in four brigades: the Comics, the Fancies, the String Bands and the Fancy Brigades. The Comics are the court jesters and poke fun and satirise public figures of the day (Uncle Sam has been linked to Mummer clown Cooney Cracker, who used to do a passable impression of George Washington). The Fancies dress like royalty in sequins and silk. The String Bands, the most popular marchers, provide the distinctive sound of Mummery.

The Mummers’ anthem is "Oh Dem Golden Slippers," written by black composer and Philadelphian native James A. Bland. Most Mummer music is black and it is ironic that no black Mummer brigades march today, although they did in the past.

The Mummers’ dance is very distinctive. Called a cakewalk or strut – a bit like a headless chicken with human knobbly elbows and a sense of beat - it may have been adapted from an American Victorian dance craze. Most locals discover their innate ability to do it while marching down Broad Street.

Fancy Brigade Performances

The Mummers’ day celebrations culminate with the Fancy brigade performances in The Philadelphia Convention Center, where it is decidedly warmer. The vast auditorium houses displays of such lavish extravagance and over exuberance, they seem more influenced by Broadway musicals or something from the fantastic mind of Mr. Walt Disney than any ancient customs. It typifies the fantasy-style event that Americans do so well.

At times, the vast sums of prize money on offer for Mummer Brigades make the whole affair seem more about professionalism than fun. Mummer costumes are costly to make (fitting a String Band can top $100,000), although most performers return to their day jobs the next day.

Nevertheless, long hours of practise make the performances, parading down Broad Street for over 100 years now, seem perfect. Bring a blanket if you decide to watch the famous strutting and perhaps a wee drop to fight against the inevitable cold.

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