Did you know that New Years day has been celebrated for thousands of years? The oldest known celebration dates back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. The New Years that we celebrate today is a bit more recent. It began in 43 B.C. in Rome, when Julius Caesar updated an ancient calendar that had fallen out of sync with the sun. He added the months of July and August, and instituted January 1^st as the beginning of the year. It seemed fitting since January is named after the Janus, the Roman god of new beginnings. We have transgressed past New Years being a celebration of a religious deity, but we still hold true to the celebration of new beginnings. The whole country becomes brighter, happier, and unified for a night. And one way we capture that feeling is through parades! There are many New Years parades out there, but just two that stand well above the rest.

The Tournament of Roses – Pasadena, CA

What’s more American than extravagance and football? The tournament of Roses has been capturing both for 130 years now.  It begins with a 5 ½ mile parade through the streets of Pasadena which is filled with some of the most opulent floats ever seen. Historically, the floats are decorated entirely with flowers and other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds, and bark. In it’s second year, the Rose Parade added a marching band, and since then hundreds of thousands of musicians have been accompanying the floats, including marching bands, drum and bugle corps, brass and percussion bands, and bag pipe brigades. The parade is led by equestrian units full of well-dressed horses of varying breeds. This year’s parade will conclude with the 106^th annual Rose Bowl Game held between the top contenders from the Pac-12 and the Big Ten conferences. This year’s game features the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin.

The Philadelphia Mummer’s Parade – Philadelphia, PA

In constant operation since 1901, the Philadelphia Mummers Parade is the oldest continual folk parade in the United States. The Mummer’s trace their roots all the way back to ancient Egypt. They can also be found in ancient Greece and other European countries. The namesake of the Mummers is Momus, the Greek god of satire and mockery, and the Mummers personify his image through the use of miming, masking, and folk play. They bring that tradition to the streets of Philadelphia, where brightly colored Mummer bands, along with custom floats and costumes, play brass and string instruments. The bands put on a bit of a play during their parade, and there are a host of divisions based on the content of their act. The colorful names of their divisions are the Comics, Wench Brigades, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades.

 

New Years is a wonderful time full of rebirth and reinvention, which is why we have resolutions aimed toward self-improvement. Some will choose to lose weight, some will resolve to hike more, and others may choose to save more money. Good2Go Auto Insurance can help out with that last one with some of the cheapest car insurance around. Visit www.Good2Go.com or call 1-855-646-4661 today for a free, no-obligations quote on minimum coverage car insurance!