This photo appears to have been taken in Catawba County, NC in the early 1900s.

I learned somewhere that an old German custom on New Year's Day was marching down the street shooting off firearms but I had been unable to find documentation. Recently I came across information that the custom was an offshoot of the Philadelphia Mummer Parade. The custom of mummery can be traced back to ancient pagan rituals in Greece and France, each marked by parades and costumes. The pagan Saturnalia and carnival, for example,was the Roman festival of Saturn, beginning Dec. 17 and marked "by unrestrained merrymaking," according to the Philadelphia Mummers Association.

I have no idea when the custom stopped in Hickory, NC, where I live. Cherryville, NC still has a New Years Shooters club, started by the Germans who settled there in 1750. Scotch, Irish, Dutch and French citizens also joined in. George Washington, our first President, welcomed the tradition in Philadelphia, which was the nation's first capital.See http://cherryvilleshooters.com/history-chart.php.

The Philadelphia Mummers Museum says the word "mummer" comes from the Old French momer, to wear a mask, pantomime. It means a masked or costumed merrymaker, especially at a festival The mujseumm is still open October through Aapril at 1100 South 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19147. Telephone is (215) 336-3050, if you live near Philadelphia and would like to visit.

The Cherryville association says the group goes door-to-door singing, shooting guns, performing dances and merrymaking. They are rewarded with food and drink.

A leader is chosen who stops at doors along the way and chants,

"Here we stand before your door
As we stood the year before;
Give us whiskey, Give us gin.
Open the door and let us in."