Rittenhouse Square Surprises

I spend a lot of time in Rittenhouse Square, and I'm constantly amazed at the strange things that pop up there. It's unlike any other urban space I've ever been to; the closest approximation I've seen is DC's Dupont Circle. In both places there are musicians, chess players, break dancers, and sunbathers. But Morris dancers? Mummers? Star Wars characters?

The Star Wars characters showed up months ago, part of some sort of promotion for the Franklin Institute's exhibition on the movies. I was rather surprised to come across Darth Vader on my way to pick up lunch.

This photo from the group's website shows a wedding party in the same spot I saw them perform. They apparently don't wear their fish masks for these events, but they do in the parade.

A few weeks ago, the mummers appeared. Mummers are a Philadelphia institution, parading through the city on New Year's Day since 1901. Apparently they also perform the rest of the year at special events. The costumes are elaborate--the group of mummers I saw leading a wedding party into Rittenhouse Square were dressed as fish, with flounces of scales in bright colors covering them from head to toe. They appear to have been the string band (which is Mummer terminology for brass band) Aqua. Aqua started in 1920 and has never missed a year in the parade.

I'd heard of mummers before, but the Morris dancers I saw this weekend were new to me. This folk dance actually started in England soon after mumming (which really just means performing in disguise) in the 15th century. The dancers combine rhythmic stepping with wielding sticks that they cross like swords or tap on the ground to the tune of music. The outfits look more like what I'd imagine Austrian or Swiss folk dancers might wear. Several local groups gathered at Rittenhouse Square to perform for the afternoon to start off their summer tours and a ring of onlookers gathered. Here's a video of what the dancing looks like.

As the weather finally gets warmer, I'm looking forward to seeing who else shows up in the square this summer!