hey all! it's been awhile. hope you all had a Merry Riffmas and Happy New Year to you!
my holidaze were the same, nothing extravagant. food, booze, and family/friends.
i look forward to New Years every year because here in Philadelphia, PA, we have the oldest New Years Parade in the United States! we use the term "Mummers" because it was founded in my community of South Philadelphia and it such a close knit thing, even though there are thousands of Mummers. there are 3 main divisions: Comics, Fancies and String Bands. i have been participating with the Comics for 15 years now. some people are born into it because of the neighborhood tradition of their parents. i have some friends that have been going out in the parade since birth. for me, i have grown up with the parade all my life, mainly as a spectator, freezing your buns off standing out in the streets watching everyone strut(another terms "strut" we use to determine our dances, hence the "Mummers Strut"). a friend and i didn't decide to take part in the parade until we were around the age we started stealing beers from our parents, haha! so since then, i have been Mumming it out. we march within our neighborhood then all the way to City Hall to be judged. there is actually prizes involved for those can get voted for best costume and performance. then we all march all over again in our neighborhood. which is like another parade in it owns and can get pretty out of control. alcohol plays a lot in this parade, haha.
here are some photos of what me and a few friends look like. i tried to link my Instagram the day before so you guys could see on going photos from the day but it didn't work for some reason. i have a small video on my Instagram that you guys should check out if you are curious of what it looks like. the music(brass bands), the suits and the strut.
IG: death_groove
xmas
^i'm sure you can pick me out! the guy in the middle is my best friend and is in the military, United States Coast Guard. he has been stationed in Alaska for the past 3 years and took some leave for the holidays. he has another week here and he goes back to Alaska. it's been great to see him again! and actually, the day of the New Years Parade, he did not wake up! he waited all those years to be in the parade again and i guess he must of enjoyed New Years Eve too much, haha! he eventually made it out later in the day and had to carry me home, hahaha!
^notice my TMNT xmas stockings?? ;)
^sporting one of favorite sports teams, Philadelphia Flyers NHL.
^outside of 2st Mummers Row as we call it. it is main stretch of streets in the neighborhood that the parade marches down.
^struttin
i'm really hoping 2015 brings great things, positivity and peace. i've never made resolutions but i think maybe i should because i am tired of feeling the way i have been for a long time. ANYWAY, maybe that'll be a different blog later on to get off my chest.
hope you all had a great holidaze and wish you the best in this new year!! :)