Hedrek Night of the Mummers

Today is New Year’s Day. We know today is New Year’s Day, so let’s focus on something else.

Hedrek Night of the Mummers

January 1st is also known for its Mummers Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA.

This tradition began in 1778 when the British wished General William Howe well with a sendoff parade, much like the modern-day Mummers Parade. While a Philly resident, George Washington encouraged a continuation of the event. It morphed into something more closely resembling our current Halloween, but with a decidedly more adult bent to the festivities: revelers would wander from house to house reciting poetry and telling jokes for alcohol and cake.

By the mid 1800s the ribald revelry was scaled back, and – in 1901 – Philadelphia officially adopted the Mummers Parade, a tradition that continues to this day.

DCI Hedrek Stern stars in a book using the annual event as a backdrop for a string of murders that may or may not be supernatural in nature.

Night of the Mummers is illustrated by David Hitchcock and written by Professor of Forensic Psychology Laurence Alison.