Mummers have sex?

[PennLady]

For those in the Philly area, who may know about Mummers -- it's being reported in the papers these last couple of days that one of the Mummers' organizations is in trouble. Apparently, Mummers have orgies.

Parties were a bacchanalian free-for-all

My hub thinks there may be a plot bunny here. I figure yes, but I'm not sure I'm the one to write it.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Hmmm, well, as a non-Philly person, it just looks like good, old-fashioned prostitution to me.

I'll worry when the Shakers start having sex.

 

[PennLady]

Hmmm, well, as a non-Philly person, it just looks like good, old-fashioned prostitution to me.

I'll worry when the Shakers start having sex.

LOL I'd worry too, since it'd be a big change for them.

Yeah, this is a pretty local thing but to us locals it's pretty funny. No one understands the Mummers and the parades... I've tried to explain it to Mr. Penn but he doesn't get it. Ah well. Guess you had to grow up with it like I did.

 

[talismania]

Sadly, I think these were just regular guys having sex with prostitutes albeit in a building the Mummers leased. Neither the men nor the women were in costume (I believe, though could be wrong). They don't count as Mummers unless they're in costume.

Now Mummers in costume... that would be interesting! Creepy, even, or laughable, like college mascots, but interesting.

Mummers are a great tradition. I love the color and the show. I could have way too much fun with it, but probably won't.

 

[PennLady]

Sadly, I think these were just regular guys having sex with prostitutes albeit in a building the Mummers leased. Neither the men nor the women were in costume (I believe, though could be wrong). They don't count as Mummers unless they're in costume.

Now Mummers in costume... that would be interesting! Creepy, even, or laughable, like college mascots, but interesting.

Mummers are a great tradition. I love the color and the show. I could have way too much fun with it, but probably won't.

Well, one upside would indeed be to find that the Mummers themselves were not involved. Given some of the pics of the people arrested, costumes might not have been a bad idea.

I do like the Mummers' parade as well, but we never seem to be home on New Year's to see it, and even if we are, no one but me seems to have any interest. Sigh.

 

[estragon]

It's a lucky thing that young canines were not involved, or we'd have the Mummers and the Puppers (sorry, guys, the Devil made me do it).

 

[3113]

No one understands the Mummers and the parades... I've tried to explain it to Mr. Penn but he doesn't get it. Ah well. Guess you had to grow up with it like I did.

Can you explain it to me? Seems these people have been doing this parade since before the revolutionary war, but is that all they do? Put on a parade? Why and who are they? And what do they do during the rest of the year?

 

[oggbashan]

Can you explain it to me? Seems these people have been doing this parade since before the revolutionary war, but is that all they do? Put on a parade? Why and who are they? And what do they do during the rest of the year?

If they are anything like the English equivalent, they meet to plan next year's parade, to design and make costumes for the parade, to bitch about how last year's parade wasn't as good as the ones before the war (don't ask WHICH war), how youngsters won't get involved like they used to, to have the parade, to complain about what went wrong, and it wasn't anything to do with me, to plan next year's parade...

 

[mynameisben]

Can you explain it to me? Seems these people have been doing this parade since before the revolutionary war, but is that all they do? Put on a parade? Why and who are they? And what do they do during the rest of the year?

They made some adventure movies with Brendan Fraser a few years back. That's all I know.

 

[PennLady]

It's a lucky thing that young canines were not involved, or we'd have the Mummers and the Puppers (sorry, guys, the Devil made me do it).

If there were drugs involved, it might have been Mummers and the Poppers.

Can you explain it to me? Seems these people have been doing this parade since before the revolutionary war, but is that all they do? Put on a parade? Why and who are they? And what do they do during the rest of the year?

Here's a Wikipedia entry on the Mummers parade: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade

It is definitely a regional thing in the Philly area. Go too far afield, even in PA, and no one has heard of it.

The Mummers groups spend all year working on their costumes and floats for the parade. The real highlight is usually the string bands, which I think will perform at other events during the year. Mostly the members of the different groups work at other jobs and all; this is all volunteer, from what I understand, although there is sponsorship and fundraising, I think. Not sure if the city funds anything.

I find it difficult to explain the Mummers; hope the Wiki article helps. Basically, there are different groups of them, and every year they come up with different themes for the various categories and divisions. The most extravagant is usually the string bands, which are the last part of the parade. They have costumes -- the captain usually has a big, elaborate head/back piece -- and put on their shows in front of the judges' stand. Prizes are awarded, etc. I've never attended the parade, as I've never wanted to deal with the crowds, but it's fun to watch on TV.

 

[trysail]

They aren't the world's most charming people. They are, in fact, a bunch of boorish drunks.


The annual Mummer's Parade in Filthy on New Year's Day is pretty disgusting. When I was a kid, they broadcast the thing on network television and it looked like fun. Little did I know. It's degenerated ( a lot ).

 

[Stella_Omega]

That is as spectacular as anything I've seen from New Orleans, or the Venice Carnivale:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Mummers2005-stringband.jpg/800px-Mummers2005-stringband.jpg

It's actually pretty easy to explain, PennLady: it's a competitive costume parade. There are versions of this everywhere, and any parade very quickly develops its own set of competitive groups. Marching bands, for instance, spend as much time on their costumes as they do on their repertoire.

 

[Jenny_Kawaii]

Have you seen them in their parades? Of course they have orgies...duh.

 

[PennLady]

That is as spectacular as anything I've seen from New Orleans, or the Venice Carnivale:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Mummers2005-stringband.jpg/800px-Mummers2005-stringband.jpg

It's actually pretty easy to explain, PennLady: it's a competitive costume parade. There are versions of this everywhere, and any parade very quickly develops its own set of competitive groups. Marching bands, for instance, spend as much time on their costumes as they do on their repertoire.

It's easy to explain the parade, not so easy to explain the Mummers. At least in my experience. Perhaps I just don't explain very well. My hub still doesn't get it, and we've been together thirteen years.

 

[mynameisben]

Perhaps I just don't explain very well. My hub still doesn't get it, and we've been together thirteen years.

You'd better let him get it every now and then, or another thirteen years just won't be in the cards.

 

[Stella_Omega]

You'd better let him get it every now and then, or another thirteen years just won't be in the cards.

Aren't you in a mood!

 

[mynameisben]

Aren't you in a mood!

I do what I can to help out.

 

[PennLady]

You'd better let him get it every now and then, or another thirteen years just won't be in the cards.

He's gotten it at least twice, as we have two kids.

Very funny.

 

[estragon]

He's gotten it at least twice, as we have two kids.

Very funny.

The Mamas and the Papas?

 

[PennLady]

The Mamas and the Papas?

Well, one mama and one papa in our case, I suppose.

 

[bronzeage]

Can you explain it to me? Seems these people have been doing this parade since before the revolutionary war, but is that all they do? Put on a parade? Why and who are they? And what do they do during the rest of the year?

It's pretty straightforward. You get to dress up in a costume and drink alcohol.

Down here we call it Mardi Gras. Nothing releases sexual inhibition more than a mask and liquor.

 

[Handley_Page]

I imagined that "Mummers" were "mime" actors (ie., no words) or a dumb show.

 

[PennLady]

It's pretty straightforward. You get to dress up in a costume and drink alcohol.

Down here we call it Mardi Gras. Nothing releases sexual inhibition more than a mask and liquor.

Philly does the drinking, not sure so much about the sex, at least not during the parade. I was just reading an article about this again and it turns out they arrested two executives of the Mummers' club, so there was some official involvement.

I imagined that "Mummers" were "mime" actors (ie., no words) or a dumb show.

Not these mummers. They wear costumes and such, but it's not a matter of pantomiming and all.

 

[talismania]

Not these mummers. They wear costumes and such, but it's not a matter of pantomiming and all.

That's so true! There's different groups of Mummers--comics, string bands and fancy brigades--and during the parade the performances of some of the string bands can be as extravagant as anything on stage. Floats, entire landscapes of them, and stories and costumes that rival Broadway shows all played out in music and on the street.

The clubs doing these performances have existed for decades, some nearly a century, though there are a few newer ones. They invest a lot of money and time. My father-in-law never misses watching the string bands. He grew up in South Philly.

I'm ticked off that the Mummers are actually involved in this. Fine way to tarnish a fine Philly tradition, guys!

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'm ticked off that the Mummers are actually involved in this. Fine way to tarnish a fine Philly tradition, guys!

Oh, please.

There have been whores, and men who buy whores, in Philadelphia since before the city was incorporated. Mummers, like any group of men, will fuck if they can do so guilt free, or convince themselves that they are doing it guilt free.

That's a fine old tradition in itself.