A Century of Celebrations: Thanksgiving Parades PDF

# A Century of Celebrations: Thanksgiving Parades ## Patrick Phillips (USA) In 1621, thanks to life hacks from the local Wampanoag tribe, the members of Plymouth Colony (in what is now the state of Massachusetts) got through a whole year without starving to death. This was such an unusual thing in...

# A Century of Celebrations: Thanksgiving Parades ## Patrick Phillips (USA) In 1621, thanks to life hacks from the local Wampanoag tribe, the members of Plymouth Colony (in what is now the state of Massachusetts) got through a whole year without starving to death. This was such an unusual thing in early Colonial America that the colony decided to have a party to celebrate. To thank their Wampanoag friends, they invited them as well, and Thanksgiving was born. Well, that's the story most Americans learn at school. The real history is more complicated. Regardless, Thanksgiving has been an official national holiday since 1863, held on the fourth Thursday in November. It's a day full of eating, drinking, American football and parades. Lots of parades. ## Macy's Parade in New York City Nearly every town and city has its own Thanksgiving parade, but the most famous is the Macy's Parade in New York. Macy's is a Manhattan department store, and in 1924 its employees held a fancy-dress parade to promote the fact that it had just become "the world's largest store". It was originally going to be a one-off, but it was so popular that it became an annual event. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the parade, which makes it probably the longest running advertisement in history. It's also a big part of American holiday culture. There are websites dedicated to it, parodies on TV shows, and it even inspired the band Green Day to write the song "Macy's Day Parade". Thousands of people take part; around three million line the streets to watch and tens of millions more watch it on television. The parade is famous for four basic ingredients: floats, marching bands, balloons and a certain well-known old fat dude. ## Floats Floats are motorized platforms on wheels, usually with the driver carefully hidden inside where no one can see. The floats have varied themes, such as Broadway musicals, Christmas and Thanksgiving (how original), and they often feature celebrities. However, the floats are sometimes controversial. In last year's parade, some people complained about a Palestinian float and a float promoting the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. ## Marching Bands For reasons that cannot be explained, Americans really love marching bands. The Macy's Parade features some of the best such bands in the US, mostly from universities and high schools around the country. To be invited to march in the parade is one of the top honors a marching band can earn, and a typical parade features from 10 to 15 bands with well over 1,000 majorettes and cheerleaders. ## Balloons For many people, this is the coolest part of the parade. The balloons can also provide some unexpected events. In 1927, Felix the Cat became the first balloon to take part in the parade. The cartoon kitty celebrated his appearance by running into a streetlamp and bursting into flames. Fortunately, no one was injured. Over the years, streetlamps have also destroyed Superman, Kermit the Frog, SpongeBob and Sonic the Hedgehog. During the first five years of using balloons, the parade ended with the balloons being released into the air to see how far they would travel. But then, in 1932, a balloon nearly caused an airplane to crash, wrapping itself around the wing. Fortunately, the pilot was able to free his plane, but that was the end of free-flying balloons. The most serious accident happened in 1997, when a Cat in the Hat balloon crashed into a streetlamp (streetlamps again!). A piece of the streetlamp hit a woman spectator, putting her in a coma for a month. A Barney the Dinosaur balloon also tried to break free but was stabbed to death by a group of New York policemen, ending any danger but traumatizing an entire generation of children. ## Santa Claus From the very first event in 1924 to the present, the honor of ending the parade has belonged to a fat man in a red suit - Santa Claus. Jolly old Saint Nick rides the last float in the parade, bringing in the Christmas season and reminding shoppers that Macy's is a great place to spend their money. ## America's Parade in Detroit In 1924, the same year as Macy's first Thanksgiving parade, the city of Detroit held its own parade and began its own 100-year tradition. The parade in Detroit has the usual parade ingredients, such as balloons, bands and floats, but it also has something quite unique: the Big Head Corps. This is a group of people who walk in the parade wearing large papier-mâché heads representing famous celebrities, local sports stars and politicians, cartoon characters and various holiday-themed animals and people. The Big Head tradition started with the first parade and has continued in every parade since then. The original heads were made in Italy, but today they are made locally in Detroit. The heads are so carefully stored that some heads from the first parade in 1924 are still in use. The Big Heads, perhaps surprisingly, don't seem creepy at all. The same cannot be said for another original element to the parade: local business people and politicians dressed as clowns. Politicians dressed as clowns? It's hard to imagine anything more horrifying! ## Discuss - Is there a tradition of parades in your country? For which occasions? How are they similar to or different from the Thanksgiving parades described in the text? - If you were to design a float for the Macy's parade, what theme would you choose? Why? How would you decorate your float? - If you were to make a papier mâché head for America's Parade in Detroit, who would your head represent? Why?