masks

Waaaaw

wow!!!

The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. Great renaissance of the ancient Cornish & Celtic tradition of Mummers Day .There is some confusion what mid winter day celebrates nowadays with more recent migrants. The US parade traces back to at least the mid-17th-century roots, blending elements from Swedish, Finnish, Irish, English, German, and other European heritages, as well as African heritage.The parade is related to the Mummers Play tradition from Celtic Cornwall in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Revivals of this tradition are still celebrated annually in South Gloucestershire, England on Boxing Day and in parts of Ireland on St. Stephen's Day and also in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador around Christmas. Swedes, Philadelphia's first settlers, brought the custom of visiting neighbours on "Second Day Christmas" (December 26) with them to Tinicum. This was soon extended through New Year's Day with costumed celebrants loudly parading through the city. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummer%27s_Day An ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year in Padstow and was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated all over Cornwall where people would guise dance and disguise themselves by dressing up, darkening or blackening up their faces or wearing masks". It was nothing to do with 'black' people (few had ever been seen in Cornwall or Kernow at the time this tradition started many years BC). Though there's is a story it re-began when an English slave ship entered Padstow , Cornwall after a storm ,the towns ship rights refused to carry out the work on the ship , until they had taken the 'cargo' of slaves off and allowed them to feed and offer them warmth and a brief freedom .The slaves had nothing to give but their songs and dances.

Have a great start out the gate 2014 .

looks great fun 1! thanks for sharing, all new to me, so thanks for the info Mike , below.

Not wanting her radio fans to recognize her?

Maybe! I would like to know the story behind this one.

See comment under flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163796628 for information on the tradition of Thanksgiving masking.

Todos diferentes....Todos iguais....