Parades
Whether to demonstrate military might, to advertise public events and holidays, or simply to entertain, parades traditionally have been part of the community experience, probably since human beings first gathered together in a social order; as far back as 3000 B.C.E., there are records of religious processions and parades. Whether it is a New York ticker tape parade or a ragtag local procession, a parade is a kind of social narrative, as symbols and tableaux approach and pass by, telling cheering spectators a sort of story about their society.
The first public parades were likely military or political in origin, as armies and rulers found that a huge demonstration of power was an effective way both to intimidate opposition and to muster support. Patriotism, that nationalistic pride so important to those who rule nations and those who make war, is still an important product of military and political pageants. Religious institutions also used parades to gain power and solidify connections with the populace. The public welcomed such parades, both as a diversion from workday life and because, for a moment, they put the powerful within reach of the common people. Less enthusiastic were the conquered people forced to watch the victors flaunt their triumph down the main streets of vanquished towns.
Other early parades were connected with fairs and festivals and offered opportunities for people to gather, socialize, and exchange information. In medieval Italy, carreros, or carts, were painted with historical scenes and brought out at parade times as a sort of rolling history exhibit. Circus parades were often the most anticipated public events in small towns in earlier centuries. Part flamboyant spectacle and part advertisement for the show, the brightly painted wagons and exotic performers and animals of the circus parade were greeted with enthusiasm by the working people in small, uneventful towns.
More modern parades have tended to fall into the same categories, augmented by modern excesses. The military parade is still a standby, whether to honor veterans of past wars or to celebrate victory in a new one. The end of World War II was cause for hundreds of parades nationwide, but later wars evoked more complicated emotions. Veterans of the undeclared conflicts in Korea and Vietnam complained that their homecomings went unfeted, since most Americans were merely glad to put the controversy and discomfort behind them. In a sort of backlash effect, both public and government seemed almost embarrassingly determined to honor troops. In the next major U.S. conflict, the Persian Gulf War of 1991, the spate of parades celebrating the returning troops lasted longer than the forty-three-day war itself.
Religion has always been a major inspiration for a parade, and many major U.S. parades are at least nominally religious. Mardi Gras parades, major events in many southern cities, the most famous being New Orleans, celebrate the last feast before the beginning of Lent. In practice, Mardi Gras has always been an occasion for revelry and debauchery—and endless parades. In New Orleans, where the first Mardi Gras celebration was held in 1837, social groups called krewes sponsor dozens of balls and parades. The krewes offer a chance of visibility for many who are otherwise marginalized. There are black and Jewish krewes, and, since 1958, several gay krewes. All are welcomed and celebrated in the spirit of Mardi Gras, and all compete for the most artistic and ostentatious parade floats.
The feast of St. Patrick also offers an excuse for a parade in many U.S. cities. In New York City, the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day parade drew one hundred fifty thousand marchers and more than oneand-a-half million spectators in 1998. Though it is on one hand a raucous revel, a St. Patrick's Day parade also often has a subtle political agenda of Irish nationalism. Unlike the Mardi Gras parades, however, St. Patrick's Day parades have often sought to prevent the inclusion of marginalized groups; many have banned contingents of gay Irish marchers, for example.
As in the circus parades, advertising continues to be a motivating factor for parading. Since its beginning in 1924, the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City is an extravagant advertising gesture, where companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to display helium-filled toys and logos before millions of spectators. Many other companies are catching on to parading as a marketing tool, hiring specialized companies to plan and execute their parades to maximum effect.
Gay Pride Day offers an example of the political evolution of a parade. With the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the 1970s, Gay Pride marches were first demonstrations, often angry and challenging, demanding gay rights. As the movement progressed and gays began to feel more strength and solidarity in their communities, the event evolved into a celebratory parade, complete with elaborate floats, commercial advertisements, and glad-handing politicians seeking votes. Though some gays bemoan this change from protest to festivity, others see it as a sign of progress and social acceptance.
Further Reading:
Davis, Susan G. Parades and Power: Street Theatre in Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1986.
Ryan, Mary. "The American Parade: Representation of the Nineteenth Century Social Order." The New Cultural History, edited by Lynn Hunt. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1989.
Sussman, Mark. "Celebrating the New World Order: Festival and War in New York." The Drama Review. Vol. 39, No. 2, Summer 1995, 147.
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