Hegeman String Band, 1960

January 1, 1991. This was the first time I experienced the Mummers Parade. I was six years old and in the first grade. My mother decided it would be fun to take me and my sister to see the string band portion of the parade. Joining us would be my friend Yael and her parents and older sister.

The Mummers Parade is the annual New Year's Day Parade in Philadelphia. For over a hundred years, thousands of people from around the Philadelphia area have been strutting their way up Broad Street, starting at Oregon Avenue and ending at City Hall. The parade is divided into four divisions: the Comics (the clowns of the parade, who often dress in drag and hold umbrellas while doing the traditional Mummer's Strut), the Fancies (who use elaborate costumes with sequins and feathers to illustrate a theme, such as birds), String Bands (groups that put on a performance at several spots along Broad Street, which includes a live music medley, elaborate sets, costumes and choreography) and Fancy Brigades (groups that put on a performance similar to the String Bands, except they have grander sets and they use prerecorded music). Each division is composed of different clubs who compete against one another to be the best on New Year's Day. With thousands of participants and dozens of performances along the five-mile route, the parade is an all-day event. It starts at eight in the morning and often does not end until close to twelve hours later.

The only thing I can remember from that first year is being cold. After all, standing on Broad Street for even a portion of the New Year's Day parade, barely moving for fear of losing the spot you fought so hard to obtain, makes the observers very, very cold and, if you're little: very, very irritable. I was therefore, very surprised when my mother suggested we attend the parade and experience the extreme cold again the very next year. My father was going to stay home in the warmth, why did the rest of us have to go to the parade? Was it a punishment?

It turned out though, that being a spectator at the parade was far from a punishment. Attending the Mummers Parade with Yael's family would not only become tradition, it would become one of my favorite days of the year. My mother and Yael's mother would sing and dance to all of the songs that they knew and in later years, the four daughters would join in this revelry as well. I also learned that by singing, dancing and genuinely enjoying the parade, it was much easier to stay warm.

However, the Mummers Parade is not just a family event for me. It's really an occasion to bring all Philadelphians together. While standing along Broad Street, waiting for the next Mummers Club performance, it's not rare for the entire crowd to break into song with the traditional Mummers anthem of "Oh Dem Golden Slippers", the Eagles fight song, "Fly, Eagles, Fly" or the quintessential New Year's song, "Auld Lang Syne." Due to the fact that much of the crowd is still intoxicated from New Year's Eve festivities, it's also not rare for the crowd to forget the lyrics to some or all of these songs. The crowd takes care of each other though. If someone needs a seat, people squish together to make room. If a young child cannot see, the spectators make sure that the child and a parent are moved to the front of the crowd.

One of the most awesome experiences that I have ever seen of Philadelphia coming together at a Mummers parade happened this year, January 1, 2008. The parade was delayed due to rain (you can't have rain destroying the costumes of sequins and feathers that have taken months and thousands of dollars, to make!!). By the time the parade started at noon, it was a beautiful day, and rather warm for New Year's Day. It was close to 50 degrees. My family arrived at 3:00 to see the String Bands. After an hour and a half though of waiting, the first String Band still had not arrived in Center City. By 4:30, the temperature had dropped to freezing levels, there was no sun and the wind was starting to pick up. The crowd was also getting restless.

Just when it looked like the crowd was going to leave, everyone started cheering. The Mayor-elect of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter was walking up Broad Street. He was shaking everyone's hands, and right behind him was the first String Band, Pennsport. Once they started playing, everyone forgot the cold weather and the long wait. They were too busy laughing, singing, and dancing. Even the police officers assigned to the parade route relaxed. They let spectators go in front of the parade barriers to dance in the streets. To add to the pleasure of the crowd, Michael Nutter was given a hat and cane and he joined Pennsport in the middle of its performance. The crowd went wild. Everyone was cheering so loudly that it was difficult to hear the music. After Pennsport finished and continued its way up Broad Street, the mood of the crowd continued to be jubilant. No one cared that it was starting to get dark outside or that everyone had work or school the following day. Instead, everyone gushed about the brilliant performance and talked to the person next to them (whether they knew them or not) about who would be performing next.

While this parade may not be as popular or well known as the Macy's Day Parade or the Rose Bowl, the Mummers Parade truly embodies the spirit and the fun of Philadelphia. There is nothing like the Mummers Parade anywhere else in the country.

By ABIGAIL POSES