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If your vacation plans include Los Angeles over the holidays, there is a very special event that you should not miss. On Monday, January 1, 2007 at 8 a.m., millions of spectators from around the world will celebrate the New Year with the 118th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. It will once again feature beautiful pageantry and a tradition of magnificent floral floats, high-stepping equestrians and spirited marching bands.
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, or simply The Rose Parade, is unquestionably the biggest and most grandiose public celebration in America ranking with other mega-events that include the Superbowl and the Olympics. It's also the world's most watched event.
Every New Year’s Day morning, more than a million people gather in the streets of Pasadena to witness the event. They come from every state in America, and from as far as Europe and Asia and, while they all gather—many arrive the night before with sleeping bags and campstools—a 400 million-strong audience in a hundred counties worldwide watch it on television.
For 117 years, Pasadena has played host to the Tournament of Roses Parade and every year, it seems, it becomes even more spectacular than the year before. I don’t have the statistics for this year but two years ago The Rose Parade drew 60 floats, 22 marching bands and dozens of equestrian teams with more than 300 horses and riders. The procession followed a five-mile course through the city while 55 television cameras along the route, and a blimp on high, transmitted the parade to 15 satellites which delivered the festival alive to five continents. They say this year it’s going to be even bigger.
Colourful floats, decorated with seas of beautiful flowers, are the major attraction to the parade and competition among the float sponsors is keen. And what floats they are with everything from dragons to Disneyland characters.
When I visited the Rose parade a few years ago there was one float that stood out above all others--Getting to Know You, sponsored by Thai Airways International. It was without doubt the longest float in the parade, measuring 67 feet in length, 18 feet wide and 32 feet high.
On my next visit, I went a few days early to observe Thai Airways putting its float together—Amazing Thailand. I watched the metal frames being welded into place and layers of wire mesh attached to the frames. I watched dozens of craftsmen climbing over the rigging with buckets of glue and reams of paper as they shaped and molded faces, forms and figures.
Scores of volunteers, many from the Thai community in Los Angeles, also gave their time and energy. These volunteer decorators worked feverishly weaving orchids, roses and carnations into a brilliant floral pattern that presented a dramatic interplay of Thai design and colour.
There are stringent rules that sponsors must adhere to. Not just any company can be a Tournament of Roses sponsor. Those that produce alcohol, tobacco or firearms are ineligible, as are "makers of extremely personal-care" products such as condoms and tampons. Although staging the Rose Parade by the city of Pasadena is a costly affair, the Tournament of Roses does not sell its name for commercialism. It's an extravaganza that is relatively uncommercialized. Floats cannot be rolling billboards; a company's name can be only two feet high on each side of a float and must be covered in foliage.
And then there’s the ruling on decorations. All floats must be decorated with fresh materials, such as flowers, flower and plant seeds, petals, bark of trees, and leaves. Other pickled or preserved materials are not permitted. Judges spend time on each float, taking a close look at every detail.
Getting to Know You had more flowers than any other float in the parade, including some 50,000 orchids, all imported from Thailand and flown in by Thai International. These floral decorations included purple dendrobium orchids, Vanda orchids, red Mercedes roses, ginger, anthuriums, heliconia, tuberose, leucadendron and thousands of a wide variety of orchids and lotus blossoms. There were also red carnations and pepper berries with the golden highlights of yellow chrysanthemums and marigolds to give the snake-like Nagas and the two sculptured classical dancers the prominence that befits their positions in the mythological hierarchy.
It’s always an exciting moment on the final afternoon before the parade, an afternoon of anxiety and anticipation. I stood in awe as I watched Amazing Thailand being taken from its "decoration pen" and brought in full view of the public eye. It was an awe-inspiring moment, but one of great concern. Everyone who was witness to its construction, from designer to art director, the media included, was certain Amazing Thailand was the finest float in the Tournament. But for those who were there to watch it come out of the pen that afternoon, there was a sudden moment of despair. Would the float make it from the decorating pen out into the street where the other floats were lining up? It was a tense, uncertain moment.
Could a float that large, weighted down with a few tons of flowers, even move on its own? It looked to be almost as long as a city block itself, and it had to make a sharp turn, cross over a street gutter and clear a set of power lines above.
Along with hundreds of spectators and scores of media, with a television helicopter flying overhead, we watched Amazing Thailand slowly emerge from the pen. It suddenly loomed up before us, powerful and mighty, in all it beauty and glory. Nothing could have been more magnificent.
The only person who wasn't worried was Tim Estes, the organizer. He gave the signal and, standing out in front like a conductor leading an orchestra, motioned for the float to come forth. Slowly it moved, catching the rays of the setting sun, making it seem to come to life. The Thai camera crew focused their camera and Amazing Thailand gallantly made the turn, crossed over the gutter without mishap and joined the other floats waiting in line.
The preparations are as great as preparing an army for battle. A dozen fire departments are needed to stand by; first aid stations have to be set up along the route; portable toilet facilities need be moved into place; and literally thousands of attendants, men in white suits with red ribbons on their lapels, have to be assigned positions where they can best give directions and answer questions. And from overhead, humming helicopters will supervise the operations.
Indeed, if you are in the Los Angeles area, don't miss the parade. A million spectators will be there lining the roadways. A vintage open touring car carrying the Grand Marshal, and another with the Mayor of Pasadena and the reigning Tournament of Roses Queen, will lead the procession. Dozens of marching bands will take up the beat and fall into place between the floats. Prancing teams of horses and riders, some clad like Roman soldiers in armour and others in bright colours of Mexican charros, will join the lines. Motorcycle policeman by the hundreds slowly set the course. Overhead television helicopters and stunt planes trailing long banners will fill the skies. And there will be shouts and cheers from the masses as the floats pass by.
The Rose Parade has a positive image, according to Mr. Chalermkiat Suvanamas who was, at the time, the THAI General Manager of the Americas. “That we cannot deny,” he said. “The message that Thailand carries so well at the Pasadena Rose Parade is embedded in the minds of millions of people around the world. We hope that the float will act as the tool reaching to the rest of the world, and help bring people from the East and West closer together. The float helps the world to learn more about Thailand, through which we hope to help boost the Thai travel industry even further.”
Next week we will take a look at travelling in northern Thailand.
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Thai Airways float on parade at the Pasadena Rose Parade
Volunteers get the float ready
Flowers flown from Thailand adorn the float
Final touches
Float ready to roll
Giving attention to detail
View from the front
What a spending sight with pretty Thai girls
Witches make up this float
The THAI float is certain to get attention every year
Even Biblical Noah and his ark are represented
Some spectators line up he night before
A Thai monks stops to photograph flowers
A view from the stands
Sky writing overhead
A real, live, American Indian on his horse
Marching bands come from all the states
The THAI float in an impressive mood
A beautiful silhouette for all to remember
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