The 2012 Rose Parade will not be streaming or telecast on Sunday morning Jan. 1. This year's parade kicks off Monday Jan. 2 because of a long-standing tradition of never marching on a Sunday.
The no-Sunday policy was established more than 100 years ago, when horses were used to pull floats on the parade route in Pasadena.
According to marching.com, the year was 1893 and it was feared that horses tethered outside churches during Sunday services would be disturbed, which would in turn disturb churchgoers.
It will be the 18th time in the history of the Rose Parade that it was pushed to a Monday. Read: Occupy Rose Parade marchers set to go
The organizing committee that pulls off this spectacle on a yearly basis is also responsible for producing the Rose Bowl football contest. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses works with commercial sponsors worldwide as well as municipalities throughout the country to produce floats that are decorated in a way that demonstrates that year's theme.
Miss the parade? KTLA, Channel 5 in Los Angeles has video of it all.
The 2012 Tournament of Roses is built around the phrase, "Just Imagine" which means that the level of creativity will be dialed up from its usual level. This year's Grand Marshall is J.R. Martinez, war hero and this season's reigning champion on "Dancing with the Stars."
Many viewers have no idea how a float is built and how long it takes to create something that is covered in vivid colored plant material while reflecting that year's theme. It takes hundreds of people, sometimes more than a thousand to assemble and decorate each float. It is not glamorous work and is performed by corporate employees of a float sponsor and thousands of volunteers.
Some of the more well-funded floats, usually those sponsored by famous brand products hire renowned artistic directors/designers to create the concept and oversee the construction of the float, including the use of electronic wizardry that it takes to make a float perform certain functions while moving along the parade route.
The volunteers who decorate the structure usually work in large warehouse spaces iin and around Pasadena. They are directed to perform one task at a time, sometimes taking a full day or more to complete.
For example, a person can be shown dozens of boxes of small leaves taken from a particular type of plant or flower and told to glue them all in the same direction on one small part of an immense frame of a float. Video posted below for reference.
The Rose Parade's sponsor is Honda and Vizio sponsors the Rose Bowl football game. This year's bowl game features the University of Wisconsin and Oregon University. The game begins at 5:10 pm ET, telecast by ESPN. The Tournament of Roses, Rose Bowl and Rose Parade are all registered trademarks of
Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Image: Wikimedia/UCLA90024
Comments
#1 Time to change the tradition
Most of us have to work on Monday. A bitter disappointment. I suppose that the OCCUPY Float will make more impact if the only people watching it are the 1% who have the day off!
#2 It is disappointing
for those that must work, but then again, there are DVR's. Also, Jan. 2 is a federal and state holiday so many more folks are not working than you'd expect.
#3 Fantastic! New years day
Fantastic! New years day parade in Jan 2. I'm sure NFL had no bearing in the days events! I will also be working and skipping the parade
#4 rose parade on monday !!!?
I get its a tradition, but why not have it on Sat. and just because some folks get monday off, most folks still have to work, but would have Sat off. this sucks.
#5 It's a New Year's tradition
and it will not happen prior to the calendar turning the page to Jan. 1, so Saturday the 31st is out.
Even the Rose Bowl is pushed til Monday. The entire Pasadena extravaganza has moved forward one day.
#6 Re:Rolandab
Having it on Saturday would ruin tradition and having it before the new year doesn't make sense. By the way MOST people DO have Monday off if you have a real job :)
#7 not on sunday? boo
that's a sweet reason for the 1800's. but there are no more horses outside churches now. so sorry for those who'll be working and miss it. i've actually been anticipating it all 2011 :)
#8 Not on Sunday, Boo?
Really??? You have been anticipating the parade all year long. You need to do something to occupy your time, apparently. In a country that is rapidly losing sight of traditions, I appreciate that this one lives on.
#9 Rose Parade 2012
I moved from SoCal to Seattle and have been looking forward to watching the Rose Parade so much and when I realized that it wouldn't be televised until Jan 2nd, well, I was very disappointed and sad.
#10 grateful
Whether viewers find it "nonrelevant" to stick to an old ruling about no parade on Sunday, I find it honoring and was pleased to see it adhered to. Sunday reverence has been lost in our country and I'm grateful to see some still holding to it.
#11 Some traditions
are worth keeping and it's clear that the folks in charge of the Tournament of Roses believes this is one of them
#12 Rose Parade
Absolutely agree with your post. Praises for the Rose Parade organizers!
#13 I Concur
I concur with 'grateful'. While we awoke this morning saddened that the parade is postponed until tomorrow, it is refreshing and encouraging to see that some still want to honor tradition - and more importantly, God - by putting the parade off for a day. I agree it would be nice if companies sponsoring floats also made it possible for employees to somehow view the parade. TiVo and other recording options are a good backup option.
#14 I agree as well
The first thing I thought of is "it the Lords Day" this might possibly be one of the reasons some have decided not to march on Sunday from the beggining.
#15 grateful
I agree completely...finally! Traditions are honored...
#16 Rose Parade
I am sure it is disappointing for those who have to work on Monday. Unfortunately, in today's world, there are hundreds of thousands working on Sunday too. For the American worker, especially in retail, Sundays are now just another work day. How sad. It is not about the Rose Parade waiting until Monday. it is about honoring Sunday and giving everyone a holiday on Monday instead of the constant greed of retail and business to operate under the "business as usual" and open on Monday which should be the holiday for all.
#17 Who really cares.
They ought to just do away with the stupid parade anyway. Its a waste of television air space, money, provides more traffic problems, and it runs through a crappy part of town.
Just do away with it all together!
#18 Stupid parade?
I guess you can put it that way, except that it is the largest revenue draw for any event in the city of Pasadena each year between the bowl game and the parade. A "waste" and "stupid" event don't seem to cover it.
#19 parades never help anyone.
just think if pasadena's parade staff, sponsors, donors and city officials directed their year-long efforts towards the improvement of the people and the city, what a much better use of resources, time and money that would be. lets do away with a a bad idea that went viral over 100 years ago.
#20 on a monday WTF
WOW,,, GOD rear's his ugly head again... must be the so called, moral comunity...
#21 Like ya work..... bitch please
Like anyone has to work on monday,,, thanks to W bush and the rest of the GOP, China, etc. No one in America has a job now anyway.... So stop it with "I have to work shit"
Stop the traid act.. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#22 Rose Parade on Jan 2
These Rose Parade organizers are absolutely nuts. This will be the end of tht tradition because of their ignorance of the media and long standing traditions of viewers, not organizers. Another icon destroyed by hidebound idiots.
#23 it's a parade...
people... it's a parade. it celebrates what again? all this money and effort to transform Colorado Blvd. into a poorly themed attraction is completely irrational and also not very entertaining. just imagine if all this money and effort was directed towards actually helping the neediest of Pasadena, what a wonderful difference that would make!!!! if people across the nation look forward and plan their New Year centered on this...? there are no words...
#24 Ridiculous
How unfortunate that the parade organizers are pandering to the church, especially with regard to an antiquated rule that is nothing short of useless in the modern day. While I have the 2nd off, it's unfortunate that many will be missing the parade in the service of some fatuous "reverence".
#25 Snivilers
Really, your mad because the parade has grown into a national event though tradition. It brings huge amounts of money to Pasadena, employs people, and helps buisness. Thats money thats not comming in with out the parade. Sponcers and media are not just going to give money to Pasadena. If you get ride of the parade, you take out a couple million dollars out of your economy.