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Posts Tagged ‘parade’

Native American Heritage Month: Powwows

Thursday, November 17th, 2022
Young dancers participate in a Powwow on July 23, 2016, in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. Credit: © Gregory Johnston, Shutterstock

Young dancers participate in a Powwow on July 23, 2016, in Couer d’Alene, Idaho.
Credit: © Gregory Johnston, Shutterstock

People in the United States observe Native American Heritage Month each year in November. During this period, many Native tribes celebrate their cultures, histories, and traditions. It is also a time to raise awareness of the challenges Indigenous people have faced in the past and today, along with their contributions to the United States as its first inhabitants.

Across the country, people are gathering for powwows big and small to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Through dancing, traditional food and regalia, and other traditions, Indigenous communities celebrate their culture and community. For many communities, these will be the first large powwows held since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. The Choctaw Nation hosted one of the country’s largest and most well known powwows in Oklahoma earlier in the month. Some powwows honored Indigenous veterans on Veterans Day.

A powwow is a ceremony of dancing practiced by Indigenous (native) peoples of the United States and by First Nations, Indigenous peoples of Canada. The term powwow comes from the Algonquian word pau wau, meaning healer. The gathering lasts several days and includes dancing, drums, feasts, regalia (traditional attire), and singing. Powwows have their roots in traditional Indigenous religious ceremonies and meetings. Today, they may serve as a secular (nonreligious) and public celebration.

Indigenous American cultures included traditional dances and songs. However, many Indigenous ceremonies and traditions have been outlawed by white settlers at various times. In the United States, the Religious Crimes Code of 1883 prohibited ceremonial dances. The Indian Act, first passed in 1876, is the main Canadian law governing relations between the First Nations and the federal government. In 1884, the act was amended to ban ceremonies such as potlatches and certain dances. The potlatch is a ceremony of feasting and gift-giving practiced by indigenous peoples and First Nations of the Northwest Coast region.

In the late 1800’s, traveling “Wild West” shows became popular. Shows such as that presented by the frontiersman and entertainer Buffalo Bill offered an opportunity for Indigenous performers to make money for their tribes by performing outlawed songs and dances publicly.

The Religious Crimes Code was amended to allow Indigenous dances and songs in 1933. In 1951, Canada lifted the prohibition on dances and potlatches. The United States Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978 to guarantee the protection of Indigenous people under the First Amendment to the Constitution. These changes enabled powwows to flourish in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when they were held during the summer.

Smaller local powwows still occur on reservations (lands set aside for Indigenous use), but larger powwows may take place in stadiums and at casinos. Indigenous elders bless the grounds before the event begins through song, prayer, and the burning of sage or tobacco. The powwow grounds are usually laid out in a series of concentric circles (circles spreading from a common center). The area for dancing and drums lies in the middle. The space around the dancers is reserved for elders and friends and family of the dancers. Outside that circle, there is room for spectators and vendors. The vendors sell traditional and modern foods, crafts, art, and clothing.

Every powwow has an emcee, a master of ceremonies. The emcee is usually a leader in the community with knowledge of the traditional ceremonies along with a modern-style education. The emcee announces events, introduces dancers, and tells stories.

Powwows begin with the grand entry, an opening parade. This tradition was adopted from the Wild West shows as well as processions at treaty signings. In a giveaway ceremony on the last day of the powwow, gifts are given from the host to the visitors or in memory of someone who died. The ceremony begins with the hosts dancing and the emcee announcing those receiving gifts.

Dancing styles are differentiated in part by the regalia worn by performers. Competitive dances for men include the fancy, grass, northern, and straight dance styles. For women, competitive dancing styles include fancy shawl, jingle dress, northern and southern buckskin, and northern and southern cloth. Dancers compete for prize money. The dance competition is organized by dance style and by the age and gender of the performers.

Drums and singing accompany the dances. Singers may sing in the language of a specific tribe or in vocables, simple nonverbal syllables that are shared among tribes.

Powwows are held the year around in major cities across Canada and the United States. A powwow may include up to 800 dancers or more. Some traditional powwows focus only on the songs and dances. Others may include such activities as rodeos, fashion shows, and music competitions. The largest powwow is the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which may include more than 3,000 dancers.

Tags: culture, dance, indigenous people, native american heritage month, parade, powwow, traditional dance
Posted in Current Events, Holidays/Celebrations, People | Comments Off

Celebrate Juneteenth

Friday, June 17th, 2022

 

A woman carries the Pan-African flag, a symbol of black unity, at a Juneteenth parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Juneteenth celebrations commemorate the freeing of slaves in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Credit: © Tippman98x/Shutterstock

A woman carries the Pan-African flag, a symbol of black unity, at a Juneteenth parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Juneteenth celebrations commemorate the freeing of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.
Credit: © Tippman98x/Shutterstock

Last year, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. This festival is held in many African American and other communities annually. The name of the festival refers to the date, June 19—the day the last enslaved people were freed in the southern state of Texas in 1865.

Juneteenth festivities often include family reunions, parades, prayer services, plays, and storytelling. Some communities hold longer Juneteenth festivals that span several days as a celebration of civil rights and freedom. Juneteenth is a federal holiday observed in the District of Columbia and by federal employees throughout the United States. In addition, all of the states have recognized Juneteenth in an official capacity.

The festival originated in Texas at the end of the American Civil War (1861-1865). In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared freedom for the enslaved people in the Confederate States in rebellion against the Union. However, many owners of enslaved people in Texas suppressed information about the emancipation even after the war ended in April 1865. On June 19, 1865, Gordon Granger, a Union general, entered Galveston, Texas, and ordered all enslaved people in the state to be freed. About 250,000 enslaved people, among the last remaining in the United States, were freed.

Juneteenth celebrations were held only in Texas and a few communities in other states in the South in the years following the war. Black Americans carried the celebration with them as they migrated to other regions. Today, Juneteenth festivals have become popular celebrations of freedom and Black American culture in many communities throughout the country. Texas became the first U.S. state to recognize Juneteenth officially, in 1980. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. In some places, Juneteenth is called Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, or Jubilee Day.

Tags: black americans, civil rights, emancipation, holidays, juneteenth, parade, slavery
Posted in Current Events, History | Comments Off

GOAL! of a Lifetime: NYC Ticker-Tape Parade Honors U.S. Women’s World Cup Champs

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015

July 8, 2015

When a city’s team wins a national championship, the city holds a local parade or rally for the team and its members. But what happens when a national team wins a world championship—and those champs are women? On Friday, July 10th, New York City will host a rare ticker-tape parade for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, the winners of the 2015 FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) women’s World Cup. The parade breaks with decades of precedent to bestow a rare honor upon a group that competes outside the metropolitan area. The parade also marks the first time in more than 50 years that the honor will be bestowed upon female athletes. The parade route will go along Broadway and end at New York City Hall where a special program will be held. Manhattan borough president Gale A. Brewer, who led the push for the parade with a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, said “this team will turn the Canyon of Heroes [parade route] into the Canyon of Heroines.”

The United States Women's National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. Credit: © Elaine Thompson, AP Photo

The United States Women’s National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. Credit: © Elaine Thompson, AP Photo

The parade will honor the U.S. women after their historic run in this year’s World Cup. The team ran through the tournament allowing only one goal all the way up to the final game. On Sunday, July 5th, the U.S. women went on top fast, scoring four times in the first 16 minutes against Japan. They went on to finish the championship game 5-2. The victory is the third World Cup title for the U.S. women, the only nation to achieve that feat.

Fans held television viewing parties across the United States to watch the tournament. The final match was seen by a record 26.7 million in the United States—the most viewed soccer game in the history of American television.

Other World Book articles: 

  • Morgan, Alex
  • Solo, Hope
  • Sports
  • Wambach, Abby
  • Soccer (1999: A Back in Time article)
  • Sports (1999: A Back in Time article)
  • Soccer (2011: A Back in Time article)

Tags: abby wambach, alex morgan, hope solo, new york city, parade, women's soccer, world cup
Posted in Current Events, Recreation & Sports, Women | Comments Off

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

March 4, 2014

Today is Mardi Gras, a day to let the good times roll as the merrymaking and feasting of Carnival come to a close. Also known as Shrove Tuesday, today is the last day that boisterous crowds of costumed spectators in New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; Biloxi, Mississippi; Rio de Janeiro; Cologne, Germany; and many other cities will enjoy parades of lavishly decorated floats and attend balls and parties. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, a religious season observed in the spring by most Christians. Lent serves as a time of fasting, prayer, and self-sacrifice in preparation for Easter.

Mardi Gras–French for Fat Tuesday–marks the end of the long Carnival season, which starts on January 6, or Twelfth Night. In Western Christian churches, Twelfth Night commemorates the coming of the wise men to the Christ child. Among Eastern Christians, the holiday celebrates the baptism of Jesus.

People come from around the world to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Societies called krewes organize and pay for the parades. Colorfully dressed riders on the floats throw necklaces, toys, and coins called doubloons to the onlookers. The krewes also give balls and parties. Rio de Janeiro sponsors the world’s largest Mardi Gras. There, the floats are built by samba clubs, usually made up of neighborhood associations.

Costumed riders on a elaborate decorated float toss beads and other trinkets to crowds during a Mardi Gras parade. Colorful Mardi Gras parades are a highlight of the Carnival season in New Orleans. (© Alamy Images)

Mardi Gras goes back thousands of years to ancient festivals welcoming spring. In Germany Mardi Gras is called Fastnacht. In England it is called Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. The first recorded Mardi Gras in New Orleans took place in 1827. But some historians date the city’s first celebration to 1699, when French explorers Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, and Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, landed in Louisiana. Mobile, Alabama, boasts of celebrating the first organized Mardi Gras, in 1703.

 

Tags: ash wednesday, billoxi, fat tuesday, krewe, lent, mardi gras, mobile, new orleans, parade, rio de janiero
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Current Events, History, Recreation & Sports | Comments Off

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