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Gathering Time: 15:30/3:30 PMParade kicks off at sunset (16:35)
Rain, Snow, or Shine!
Due to park construction, there will be no entertainment after the event; however, the parade route has been lengthened, so we'll be on the march longer. We'll still have the fire and all of the fellowship before and after the parade!
Guidelines:
This is a participatory parade. Dress up in scary costumes -- be a spirit on the Wild Hunt. Bring noisemakers! Bring friends!
This is an inclusive event. No racist or bigoted expressions will be tolerated. Although, in the past, the Pennsylvania Dutch traditions were to color the face of certain characters in coal or black makeup to represent entry to homes through chimneys, this is not acceptable given the history of blackface in other, racism-based contexts as an oppressive or mocking tool. This event is about celebrating our diversity in our shared space, so Gedreier Eckhart wears gray, green, and gold makeup to represent the goddess Holle keeping him active in Her service, though he has been dead for 1,400 years.
The line between "cultural appreciation" and "cultural appropriation" is not always easy to discern, but the rule of thumb is that it crosses the line when, according to cultural theorist George Lipsitz, "an element of culture is adopted from a marginalized group without respect for its cultural meaning or significance or with the purpose of exploiting the culture for economic or social gain"; please see the linked article for an analysis. This has never been a problem at our prior events, and we thank everyone advance for maintaining the welcoming atmosphere of the Parade of Spirits.
Costumes should be geared toward the spooky and the frightening, but please do not purposely frighten young children. The Parade provides an opportunity to teach them that the shadowy and spooky should be approached with caution and assessment rather than by panic. This is a family-friendly event (so, please help us keep it classy), and, particularly prior to step-off at sunset, please (with appropriate covid measures in place) spend time admiring the costumes and the make-up of your fellow participants. Talk to people you have never met before along with your friends.
While on the 'Schtrutz, make noise! Whooping, yodeling, singing Krampus carols, whatever, but keep the spirit of the Parade light.
As the Germanic psychopomp, Gedreier Eckhart, implies in Pennsylvania Dutch folklore, the Parade of Spirits is, for the dead, a celebration of life. They make a joyful ruckus as they make their way to Holle's Mill to be ripped and ground apart to release the divine portion that will go on to a new life in a new, unique, and precious soul construct. These darkest days before Yule represent the time between lives, which, to those who consider rebirth, is just as baffling as trying to fathom what happens after death. It is within the mysteries of time and space between life and death, between darkness and light, and between the physical and the ethereal that the liminal deities and beings do their work.
During this Parade, we are all liminal beings. We are ourselves, yet not quite the same as we are on an average day. Step into to the thresholds between the conscious and the unconscious minds and (figuratively, please) between life and death.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
913 North 3rd Street, 19123, 913 N 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123-2205, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
