History of the Tournament of Roses
Just as the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade always lets us know Christmas
is just around the corner, the January 1st Tournament
of Roses Parade is an annual tradition to help us usher
in the new year.
The original
Tournament of Roses was started in 1890 by the Pasadena
Valley Hunt Club. Many of the club's members were originally
from the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. where the winters
can be harsh. They decided to showcase California's mild
winter weather for everyone to see. "In New York, people
are buried in snow," announced Professor Charles F. Holder
at a Club meeting. "Here our flowers are blooming and
our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to
tell the world about our paradise."
The first parades
featured horse drawn carriages covered in flowers. The
parade was followed by other activities such as foot races
and polo matches. In 1902 a college football game between
Stanford and Michigan was added to the festivities when
Stanford played Michigan. The lopsided score of that game,
a 49-0 victory by Michigan, caused football to be dropped
in favor of chariot races the next year.
In 1916 college
football returned to the Tournament of Roses for good
and the annual Rose Bowl is one of the bigger events in
college football.
Floats
The elaborate
floats for the parade start out with a simple framework
of steel and chicken wire which is built on a specially
constructed chassis. The frame is then sprayed with a
polyvinyl material and is then painted the colors of the
flowers that will be put on later. Float construction
begins shortly after the previous year's Parade is over.
Every inch of the float must be covered with flowers or
other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds, or bark.
Workers put the flowers on the floats in the days after
Christmas. The most delicate flowers are placed in individual
vials of water, and are put onto the float one at a time.
This year's
theme of Good Times will emphasize "the good times!"
From a distance, the vibrant colors of the flowers mesh
together so well that it is almost unimaginable that flowers
create the beautiful colors of the floats.
For pictures
and more information on the 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade
visit the official
Tournament of Roses Parade web site.
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