The Philadelphia Mummers

Every once in a while, a special type of music comes to define a city.

The Waltz defined Vienna. Dixieland Jazz defined New Orleans. And Philadelphia String Band music – the happiest, sweetest, most joyful music in the entire world – defines the City of Brotherly Love, all thanks to the Mummers, the happiest, noisiest band of costumed, musical crazies who ever strutted down Broad Street (or any other street for that matter).

And here’s the best part…

Viennese waltzes were written by famous composers like Johann Strauss. Dixieland Jazz has featured talented professionals like Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt and Pete Fountain. But Mummers String Band music comes to us courtesy of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters, truckers, construction workers – and yes, even a few of those crazy roofers – amateur musicians all.

The Mummers are hearty, dedicated men of all ages from 9 to 90 who love Philadelphia so much that they will spend their own hard-earned money on musical instruments and elaborate costumes, and then spend the better part of the year in clubhouses practicing music, marching and dance routines. And all with one goal in mind – to strut up Broad Street 15,000 strong on January 1 in the freezing cold, welcoming the New Year with a merry symphony of banjos, saxophones, accordions and glockenspiels.

Although the official Mummers Day Parade began on January 1, 1901 (the very first day of the 20th Century), Philadelphia’s Mummers tradition, in one form or another, is said to go all the way back to the late 1600s – the time of William Penn and city’s founding – and derives from an older tradition dating back to 400 B.C. and the Roman Festival of Saturnalias. Indeed, the word “Mummer” comes from Momus, the Greek god of mockery, blame, ridicule, scorn, raillery and stinging critisim – who was expelled from heaven for criticizing and ridiculing the other Greek gods.

The Parade typically lasts all day, from 9 AM to 8 PM. It starts with the Comic division (clowns and political/social parodies), moves to the Fancy division (elaborate sequined, ostrich-plumed costumes), and ends with the String Band division. After the Parade, the Mummers and their followers head to 2nd Street (“2 Street”) for more revelry into the wee hours of January 2.

Every true Mummer knows how to do the “2 Street Strut”, a sort-of-backwards, curvy, showy, bouncy, pumpy, wing like bent-armed shuffle that looks erratic and yet is quite graceful and perfectly in time with the music. It’s the dance that defines the music that defines Philadelphia.