LOL @ Parades!

[Jack Davenport]

Some of you FreeOnes historians care to give us the origins of parades? I find it funny that thousands of people will line up on sidewalks and watch hundreds of people march down the street wearing makeup or a funny outfit and enjoy it. What is the appeal of parades? I imagine the first ones started with victorious armies being celebrated and was a way to honor them. But the concept of lining a street to watch other people act the fool is a strange display of what humans find entertaining.

 

[sean miguel]

I'm no historian, I just play one on the internet. I believe the earliest recorded mention of parades dates back to ancient Mesopotamia where conquering rulers marched their troops over the skulls of their vanquished foes. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Will E Worm]

In the 1920s, many of Macy's department store employees were first-generation immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the United States parade of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe.

In 1924, the annual Thanksgiving parade started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey at the Bamberger's store was transferred to New York by Macy's. In New York, the employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then "crowned" "King of the Kiddies. "With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.

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A parade (also called march or marchpast) is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind. In Britain the term parade is usually reserved for either military parades or other occasions where participants march in formation; for celebratory occasions the word procession is more usual. In the Canadian Forces the term also has several less formal connotations.

Protest demonstrations can also take the form of a parade, but in such cases are usually referred to as a march instead.

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History of Parades

The traditional pastime of parades fills us with excitement and a sense of nostalgia. Who can pass up a Thanksgiving Day or Mardi Gras celebration parade? People stand curbside and cheer as the procession of high school bands, enormous floats and actors and politicians pass by the crowd. No matter what kind of entertaining parade you enjoy, the parades seem to outdo themselves in fun, excitement and visual spectacles every year. Parades also symbolize an integral part of human culture and history.



Origin of Parades

The origin of the parade has its roots in the military and politics. Generations of rulers have projected their power through displays of strength and trepidation, going back to humanity’s first civilizations.


Mesopotamian rulers decorated their buildings with illustrations depicting their conquests. Often the pictures depicted the ruler walking on the head of his conquered enemies in front of his army. The actions, designed to lift the monarch’s prestige, cemented his legitimacy as a ruler. Later parades functioned as broad podiums that connected the ruler to his audience and allowed him to spread his authority as he made his way through the crowds.



Religious authorities and organizations used parades in much the same way as the military and politicians did before them. The parade offered a large platform for them to connect with the community and foster power. The public enjoyed the parades since they got a chance to be close to the powerful members of society who passed by.

Parades. Fairs and Festivals

Many parades became associated with fairs and festivals. People came together to socialize and learn about recent news. Citizens could have fun times in the middle of misery in medieval times as the circus parades and brightly painted carreros (carts) of Italy brightened people’s lives. The public anticipated such events, and the parades developed a flashy and exotic mood. The fleeting moments provided great pleasure and an escape from everyday life.

Modern parades expanded the exotic and flashy parade and added a sense of excess to them. Mardi Gras and Carnival parades stem from the religious obligations associated with Lent. Parade revelers and participants put on masks and costumes, dance provocatively, and ignore social conventions during the celebratory weeks of the festivities.

Military parades starkly contrast with the festive carnivals. Military parades often feature disciplined marching with historical salutes and drills. The style of marching originated with the Prussian army, and many armies around the world copied the strict disciplinary lock-step. Parades in many countries display these marches to demonstrate military hardware and memorialize the past sacrifices of soldiers in times of war.
One of the largest parades today is the Macy’s Day Parade that started in 1924. The parade started the tradition of a parade used as advertising. The parade, started by Macy’s employees, featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. The first parade, considered a huge success by its organizers, became a yearly tradition. Companies pay thousands of dollars to display their brand on rolling floats and cartoon character balloons in the Macy’s Day Parade. Three million spectators watch the annual parade as it winds its way through Manhattan, and four million viewers watch it on TV.

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[lurkingdirk]

We had the Macy's parade on this morning, and we turned it off about 20 minutes in. What a bunch of crap. First of all, the "dancers" were just not good, nor were they even well rehearsed. The singers were not even trying to hide the fact that they were lip synching. That's understandable, but they didn't even try to hide it in order to make it a good show for those watching. Then, it was constant song and dance shows in front of the store. That's not a parade, that's a fucking television spectacle that allows low standards because it's an annual event that's held outside.

Also, the constant advertising for the live musical upcoming was unbearable.

I'll never turn it on again. We even talked about going in to see it live this morning. Holy Odin's Raven am I glad we didn't.

 

[alexpnz]

Parades are gay.

 

[Will E Worm]

Parades are gay.

Gay means happy.

 

[alexpnz]

Gay means happy.

No :cupcake: , I mean Gay....as in

.

 

[Will E Worm]

No, the word you're looking for is, sodomite.


Your favorite word.

 

[Elwood70]

Every parade should end like this..

 

[TheSpokenWheel]

I didn't read anyone else's answers, but I imagine its because it was an exciting entertainment event back in the day. The whole town or city would get excited to come out and see the floats and balloons or whatever they had before that and it was exciting for them because people used to actually like to be part of something back then. They wanted to go out into the crowds with neighbors and family and watch the fanfare. They didn't have the Internet or iPhones or whatever. Which is why you're perplexed by them nowadays. They seem so outdated and pointless, but they're tradition. Nowadays when someone says "do you wanna watch the parade?", they usually mean on television, and your answer is "fuck the parade, I'm playing call of duty".

 

[luis1972]

There are better ways to spend the day