Scores of costumed performers took to the streets of their south Philadelphia stomping grounds for a New Year\u2019s celebration of Mummers tradition, far from the \u2026<\/b>
\nScores of costumed performers took to the streets of their south Philadelphia stomping grounds for a New Year\u2019s celebration of Mummers tradition, far from the customary parade route and despite official cancellation of the annual event and a ban on large gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Jim Kenney announced in July that the city would not grant permits to planned outdoor events with more than 50 people, effectively canceling the large annual parade and other events as officials struggled to keep a lid on the spread of the virus. Some Mummers leaders and organizations also asked members to stay home. City spokeswoman Lauren Cox said there were no major issues Friday but said seeing pictures of many participants without masks was \u201cvery concerning given the seriousness of this current wave of the pandemic.\u201d \u201cAnyone who has been in or near large crowds today should get tested five to seven days after the activity, stay away from others for 10 days, and continue monitoring for symptoms for 14 days,\u201d she said. The usual celebration viewed by thousands each year features string bands, comic brigades, elaborate floats and plenty of feathers and sequins, but it has also attracted persistent criticism over its long history of racist blackface displays and other inappropriate or offensive behavior by some participants. After last year\u2019s parade, Kenney threatened to end it if parade organizers didn\u2019t clean up their act. Although online advocates of a celebration Friday termed it a protest of Kenney\u2019s decision — and signs critical of the mayor could be seen — some said they were simply taking part in a very local celebration. That was the view expressed by J.P. Pasterino,39, chatting with relatives as marchers from several groups filed past on 2nd Street. \u201cThis is our neighborhood, this is a celebration, it\u2019s more for us than it is the people, so we\u2019re still going to show up, we\u2019re going to social distance as we can, and do what we do,\u201d said Pasterino, who lives in southern New Jersey but comes back to the city to celebrate with his cousins. \u201cIt\u2019s a family day, it\u2019s not just a party,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all came down, we go to each other\u2019s houses and we celebrate. You can\u2019t live in fear.\u201d \u201cTwo Street,\u201d where many clubs have their headquarters, is home to a traditional welcome-home celebration after the Broad Street event that lasts late into the night, and Kristen Boone 36, said that was more the feeling of Friday\u2019s event. \u201cIt\u2019s more like a neighborhood thing when it comes down 2nd street,\u201d said Boone, sitting on a stoop watching the marchers as string band music echoed from a nearby truck. Acknowledging that the traditional post-parade celebration packing the street wouldn\u2019t be a good idea this year, she was pleased to see the local tradition continue. \u201cIt used to be, like, from doorstep to doorstep, so to see it is so cool,\u201d she said. The Mummers Parade, believed to be the nation\u2019s oldest folk festival, stems from a mixture of immigrant traditions, some dating back of the 1640s, dubbed \u201cmummer\u201d probably from the German word for \u201cmask.\u201d It mixes the immigrant traditions of the Scandinavians who welcomed the new year with gunfire, the English and Welsh who entertained with masquerade plays, and the Germans credited with introducing Santa Claus to their new surroundings. Black residents arriving after the Civil War added the signature strut along with \u201cOh! Dem Golden Slippers,\u201d the parade\u2019s theme song. The parade became an official city-sponsored event in 1901. The traditional spectacle now includes competition in four divisions: comics, the satirists; Fancies, with the flashiest outfits; Fancy Brigades, with choreographed theatrical works; and String Bands, the dancing musicians, with their traditional theme \u201cOh! Dem Golden Slippers.\u201d After the parade, the spectacle moves indoors for a show in the Pennsylvania Convention Center — and even then, it\u2019s not over. After the formal program, mummers and their fans traditionally congregate in South Philadelphia for a celebration that lasts late in the night.<\/p>\n