November is the month of Thanksgiving, and Americans will be quick to switch to the NBC channel to watch this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, an event to put on in the background while many eat and feast with their families, friends, and others they hold close.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is said to have originally started in 1924, and has been an occurring annual event held by the Macy’s brand. Macy’s employees marched through the streets in creative and colorful costumes, along with large floats and fun music. The event had gotten so popular that day despite the lack of news coverage that Thanksgiving. Macy’s since then has provided a thanksgiving parade each year that marches through Manhattan, New York, all the way to Herald Square, the stopping point and end of the parade.
During this time period, many Americans were suffering financially, and before Macy’s Parade had taken off, America was celebrating Ragamuffin Day, a holiday similar to trick-or-treating, or by some it was considered “Beggars Day”. Ragamuffin Day was eventually drowned out by the Macy’s parade, due to families finding annoyance in having to pay for candy twice a year for trick-or-treaters. Nowadays there are a few Ragamuffin parades, but they are usually hosted during Halloween time, not Thanksgiving time, and are smaller.
The parade ran for a while before its first temporary suspension. The film Miracle on 34th Street had helped make the parade known nationwide after its continuation in 1945, after being suspended for two years prior during World War II.
Throughout the years, there has been some controversy and accidents or mishaps with the parade. Sometimes it’s hard to control what happens during big events like the Maci’s Thanksgiving Parade, but there are precautions to follow.
Though there is no estimated amount, there have been a few accidents causing injury to those in the crowd or property damages. Nowadays, employees undergo a lot of training to make sure they keep the balloon safe during wind speeds or mishaps.
Though the Parade is often viewed as just a yearly event by some of Gen-Z, during the 9/11 year’s Thanksgiving, it stood as a symbolizing meaning of the resilience America had towards the event, despite the controversy it held as well. It’s coincidental the point of the parade, to appreciate what we have in times of loss and confusion, and hurt.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is an annual American tradition that has been around for decades, and it can be overlooked sometimes. The event brings in something to watch during Thanksgiving, and can be a reminder to appreciate what we have and what America stands for. Give thanks this Thanksgiving, and make sure to flip the channel!
