I am by no means a Mummers expert
and though I grew up in Philly, I now live in New York City,

The 1999 parade was the first one
I have seen in maybe 20 years.

This site is my affectionate personal take on
the Comic Division,
the least known and granted of honors,
but oldest and possibly purest of the parade divisions. 

I am as mystified, as I am sure many of you are,
about what the dynamic of this parade are.
What keeps these folks coming back year after year,
and at such great expense
to perform on New Years Day
essentially for free.

There are prizes and paid performances during the year,
but I am pretty sure they come nowhere near to
covering the cost of what these amazing costumes cost

I am not sure what the rules are now,
but I remember hearing as a kid,
that not a single sequin or feather could be used
from the last year's costumes. 
urban legend or gospel?  I do not know.

I surmise that they are essentially fraternal organizations
that appear to be based on
ethnicity, family and neighborhood ties. 
I guess that they are analogous to organizations
such as the VFW, Shriner and Knights of Columbus,
and that they survive through their benefits
to members in business and social ties.

If you want to learn more about the mummers check out the links page