There are a lot of strange traditions in Salem,
Massachusetts. Perhaps this is due to
its “interesting” history? It is a place
where you can do odd things such as celebrate Halloween for the entire month of
October, eat chop suey sandwiches, and watch a “Horribles Parade” on the 4th
of July.
 |
| "Wilson's Band" at Salem Willows Horribles Parade 2015 complete with a Home Depot bucket drum line |
If you are not from New England or Massachusetts, especially
Essex County, you won’t know what are “Horribles Parades”. I grew up in Beverly, where there is still a
Horribles Parade every 4th of July.
They are also celebrated in Gloucester and Marblehead.
According to Wikipedia, the first Horribles Parade was held
in Lowell, Massachusetts on July 4, 1851.
It was called the Ancient and Horribles Parade to make fun of the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company which parades on patriotic
occasions. This is the oldest military
group in the United States, and they take themselves very seriously. The Ancient and Horribles Parade made fun of
this, the stuffy overdressed officer, with people dressed in silly costumes. The tradition continues today, with fancy dress, comic bands, and sometimes making fun of local
politicians.
“In the morning there
were some mock military displays. The "Antique and Horrible
Artillery,"were under command of Capt. J. G. Peabody, who appeared in a
venerable coat, said to have been worn at the battle of Bunker Hill. The
company numbered about seventy-five, and no two had uniforms alike; there were
high crowned hats and low crowned hats; long tailed coats and strait jackets;
long guns and short guns; and everything that was grotesque and ludicrous”.
(Boston Daily Atlas, July 7, 1851)
The idea of the Horribles spread. Local New England communities hold these 4th
of July parades and uphold the tradition of satirizing local public figures,
elected officials and whatever is currently in the news. Most of the parades also feature local
marching bands, local business with vehicles and homemade floats, and lots of
men dressed in drag, and everyone else in funny costumes. No Halloween type scary costumes at all. There are often prizes for the most funny costumes,
or for the best parody of a local theme.
Can you guess the current events spoofed in this year's parade?
Besides the literal parades on the 4th of July,
the phrase “parade of horribles” lives on in American slang as meaning “if we do the following actions, horrible
things are going to happen”. There was a movie Parade of Horribles in 2007 starring Stephen Vause. Last year the Supreme Court used the phrase "parade of horribles" in one of its decisions. Now you know the history.
Click here to see photos of my family members at a Horribles Parade in Naples, Maine in the 1960s:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/horribles-parade-fourth-of-july-1966.html
Click here to see photos of my family members at a Horribles Parade in Naples, Maine in the 1960s:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/horribles-parade-fourth-of-july-1966.html
-------------------------------
Local communities that still hold 4th of July
Horribles Parades (no particular order):
Chapachet (a village of Glocester), Rhode Island first celebrated
in 1926
Arnold Mills, Cumberland, Rhode Island
Gloucester, Massachusetts
(Fishtown Horribles Parade) first celebrated in 1945
Beverly, Massachusetts has TWO parades of horribles!
Beverly Farms http://www.beverlyfarms.org/paradeinfo-2015.pdf
And also one at Ryal Side http://ryalside.weebly.com/
Salem Willows, Massachusetts
Swampscott, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Danvers, Massachusetts (Highlands Horribles Parade, see
their Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danvers-Highlands-Horribles-Parade/891315730891352?fref=ts
)
I also understand that the towns of Winchester, Fairhaven,Wilmington
and Marlborough, Massachusetts; Pelham, New Hampshire; and Wickford Village,
North Kingston, Rhode Island have annual
Halloween Horribles Parades for children.
Does anyone else know of any other towns that still celebrate the 4th
of July Horribles tradition, with the adults of the community participating,
too?
When I was quite young we used to visit my grandparents in Cumberland, Rhode Island on 4th of July weekend and a highlight was the Arnold Mills parade. While I do not recall it being billed as a Horribles Parade, I do remember a lot of wackie, irreverent floats, etc. I recently came across some old photos of the parade from the 1930s when members of the family participated in the parades. I now need to ask my mother if the parades were ever billed as Horribles Parades. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThere is still a Horribles Parade in Winthrop, MA.
ReplyDelete