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PikesPique OP t1_irws6ho wrote

The article says the door-to-door begging was replaced with Ragamuffin parades in the 1930s, which eventually became Thanksgiving Day parades, although some places in the New York metro still have them.

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MurderDoneRight t1_irxhfpb wrote

In Sweden kids dress up like witches and go door-to-door being given candy around Easter.

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PikesPique OP t1_irxjwrq wrote

Makes as much sense as celebrating Easter with an anthropomorphic bunny that brings baskets of chocolate.

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Restless_Wonderer t1_irxyftu wrote

The date for Easter moves every year because it is based on the first full moon after the spring equinox.

The rabbit used to be associated with the moon because back then they saw a “rabbit in the moon” instead of a “man in the moon”.

Our current celebrations are the newest version of a really old telephone game :)

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Swellmeister t1_iry5t6g wrote

The rabbit is because it's a traditional symbol of spring

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[deleted] t1_iry8g4a wrote

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Swellmeister t1_iry9baj wrote

Why are you linking an American/Asian traditional symbol as if it has any application to European culture?

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Starberrywishes t1_iryob85 wrote

Easter is in the spring, we celebrate the rabbit on the moon during the fall festival. That has nothing to do with European spring festivals.

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[deleted] t1_irypxrp wrote

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Starberrywishes t1_iryrko6 wrote

So, what are trying to prove? This is stuff they teach in Canadian elementary school, never once have I heard of the rabbit on the moon during Easter.

Are you trying to whitewash Asian folklore? The link you provided only talks about the history of Easter, no rabbit on the moon.

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moskowizzle t1_irxvq9i wrote

We do a ragamuffin parade every year here in Hoboken, NJ!

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andersmb t1_iryxjmu wrote

Grew up in NYC in the early 90s and early on in elementary school we definitely had a ragamuffin parade in school.

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Damned_I_Am t1_irxaa50 wrote

I seem to remember they celebrated this in the novel A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

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PikesPique OP t1_irxbb09 wrote

Just realized that I’ve never read that book. I should read it.

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Buffy11bnl t1_irxp6e6 wrote

It’s one of my all time favorite books and of the few stories I’ve ever read where the movie adaptation really gets the “feeling” of the characters - my recommendation would be to read the book first but then watch the movie if you can.

I’ve always considered it an “autumn” book for some reason (and usually reread it in September) so if you’re interested now is a great time to check it out!

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ofthedappersort t1_irz0qt6 wrote

Maybe it's because I was guilted into reading it when I was like 13 but I thought it was tedious

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EnOhVeHey t1_irxnxmy wrote

I grew up attending the Ragamuffin Parade in Brooklyn! I almost forgot about it until this moment!

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Alternative_Belt_389 t1_irycnhd wrote

Ha same! In Bay Ridge??

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F59_469 t1_iryzfua wrote

Me too! PS 185! I didn't really think about how this wasn't a widespread thing.

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Alternative_Belt_389 t1_iryzp5g wrote

So crazy right?! As a kid I was like oh Rafamuffin Parade on 3rd Ave, like all the other parades. Remember the Norwegian Day parade??

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F59_469 t1_iryzy43 wrote

Oh man that was huge in my family! We are Norwegian and my grandfather used to own a Scandinavian specialty store on 5th avenue. I guess they still do the parade but it's pretty small now. I moved away in 2008 and visit every other year or so. Less and less family still in NYC.

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Alternative_Belt_389 t1_irz0mqg wrote

Yea it's always weird to visit Bay Ridge. It is a little weird world of its own.

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F59_469 t1_irz12b1 wrote

My brother lived there for years after I moved and he would text me once in a while "I'm going to the city what train do I take to get to X". Saturday Night Fever was so accurate.

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The3GKid t1_irz7g2f wrote

Yo this is a really neat coincidence of a comment thread! I only went to one Ragamuffin real young but it's nice to see the flyers and community get ready for it every year.

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F59_469 t1_irz855u wrote

I bet my mom still has pictures of me in the parade. I think I was a pirate one year? We used to stage in the parking lot of whatever bank that is on 3rd and 92nd across from food town. Although it was a different supermarket at the time I think. Maybe Key Food?

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The3GKid t1_irzd68w wrote

ooo thats mighty interesting to hear. I've always known it as Key Food!

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F59_469 t1_irzduc4 wrote

The Walgreens on 94th used to be a supermarket, wasn’t that a key food? I’m almost certain food town used to be something else, I need to research that. I still can’t believe Circles is gone. UPDATE I spoke to my mom, she says it's always been a Food Town but the Staples on 5th/94th used to be a Grand Union. I sort of remember that but I was young.

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Alternative_Belt_389 t1_irycih7 wrote

I totally grew up with this in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and forgot about it until now! I never really knew what it was about I guess or how it started

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[deleted] t1_irydmmq wrote

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Alternative_Belt_389 t1_iryy4c6 wrote

Haha love it! Left a long time ago but mom is still there. Did you go to Fort Hamilton by chance?

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Gramku t1_irxritj wrote

I can only imagine how annoying that would be having to get up from the dinner table to answer the door every few minutes.

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WakingOwl1 t1_irxrgqa wrote

We have a kids parade for Halloween here that they call a Rag-Shag, wonder if that has something to do with the name.

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SquirrelyStu t1_irxqen6 wrote

This was a thing in the early 80’s still.

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n8ofamerican t1_irykf5e wrote

Ragamuffin is still done its just a little different. Now its mostly done by adults on Thanksgiving night into Friday. Instead of door to door you find one door of a store. Then like a homeless person you camp out all night, fight with other homeless, and then get some commercial product you can't pay for.

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Sdog1981 t1_iryqti1 wrote

So some of these boomer bastards were double dipping Ragamuffin day and Halloween too. These guys got everything.

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WolfOnHigh t1_iry1m47 wrote

We prefer " tatterdemalion". After all, it doesn't take much to be a ragamuffin. All kinds of people do it every day!

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Zeldahero t1_irz1je6 wrote

Taken from Wiki:

>These children were originally dressed in the style of the homeless of New York, with
rags and oversized and exaggerated imitations of beggars.

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gingermonkey1 t1_irzze32 wrote

I think this was mentioned in Betty Smith's book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She never cited the day, just had the kids doing it things described.

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28dresses t1_iryfbhm wrote

If it was on Thanksgiving.... people just called it thanksgiving. No one called it raggamuffin day. Go away now

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