World Costumes - 119th Annual Rose Parade
by collinJust on the brink of doing another world costumes article, I noticed that the Rose Parade this year was about that very subject.
Foreign visitors may not know much about the Tournament of Roses. This is the 119th parade in the history of it’s existence. Each year on New Years the City of Pasadena, California hosts this epic procession of floats. What makes it remarkable is that the floats are sculpted, decorated, and colored with flowers. It’s decadence has led to some serious quality in float building.
The theme this year is Passport to the World’s Celebrations. So far, costumes of countries ranging from Mexico to Russia have made appearances. They represent multiple eras of costuming and classic traditional wear. The parade opened with dance and singing, typical of an opening ceremony. I tried counting on at least 10 fingers and 10 toes the different countries and culutures represented with flags and costumes… I lost count.
Although we love the costumes, and would normally give our attention there, today we’re giving it up for the floats. They’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Each boasts thousands of flowers and likely hours of work. We leave you with a few photos we’ve found highlighting the event as it has progressed thus far.
If you’re up a bit early and are just waiting for the Rose Bowl, it’s well worth a look for an hour or two.
