In addition to the fun and fellowship that Shriners enjoy, they also have a more serious side. Where else can you see the circus for $15?” he asked. For McKelvey and many other members, the circus held in Oklahoma City each year is among the highlights of the year. The Shrine Circus, founded in 1906 for fun and entertainment, began to play a role as a significant fundraiser to support the operation of the chapters. This years 73 rd Annual India Shrine Circus will be held April 7-10 th at the Norick State Fair Arena. In addition to the parades, they hold an annual Shrine Circus, which is their primary fundraiser, McKelvey said. You will see them in parades, with their little cars, Harley Davidson’s, foot patrols, flag units and clowns.
You will find them involved in many areas of the community, said McKelvey. Today, there are nearly 200 temples across North America, South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. The Shriners experienced one of its largest periods of growth following World War II as returning soldiers looked for ways to continue the camaraderie they had experienced among fellow soldiers.
The first temple was chartered on Septemin New York City and during the early part of the 20th century, membership grew steadily. The group drafted the ritual, designed the emblem and costumes, formulated a salutation and declared that members would wear the red fez, the hat synonymous with the Shriners today, said McKelvey. The exotic style, flavors and music of the Arabian-themed party inspired him to suggest this as a theme for the new fraternity. Accessed October 11, 2019.One of the founding members had been to France, and had been invited to a party given by an Arabian diplomat. “The History of Zuhrah Shriners.” Zuhrah Shriners. “History of the Shriners.” Be A Shriner Now. Her focus is on Museum Rituals and Street Art. Summer is working toward a BA in Art History at the University of St. There are almost 200 Shriner temples around the world, with most being in the United States.įor more information on the Zuhrah Temple, see our previous blogpost on the topic.Īuthor Bio: Written by Summer Erickson, Collections Intern at Hennepin History Museum. Fezzes from other chapters of the Shriners would have their own chapter’s name, such as Zenobia, Egypt, or Yelduz. The embroidered gold “Zuhrah” above the emblem is Arabic for “flower” and indicates the owner of this fez wa s a member of the Zuhrah Shrine in the Twin Cities. And t he star represents the children helped by the fraternity through its founding of pediatric hospitals.
The claws on either side of the s ph inx represent the Shriners ’ fraternity and philanthropy. The s phinx stands for the governing body of the Shriners. The scimitar symbolizes the backbone of the fraternity. This fez has the Shriner emblem, which contains four symbols including the scimitar, the sphinx, the claws, and the star. Some fezzes will have additional decorations representing the role of the owner or the ir special rank. T he decorations and symbols on a fez can tell you a lot about its owner. Each is custom – made for the wearer, and a member may own more than one depending on his memberships. It is a symbol of the wearer ’ s membership and is worn at Shriners events, parades, and other such functions. This name was later shortened to “Shriners”.įleming then designed the emblem and adopted the fez as the Shriners’ official headgear in 1872. Fleming built on this theme and created the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine. The story goes that Flor ence attended a party given by an Arabian diplomat and suggested a near-Eastern theme for the new fraternit y. The Shriners began in 1870, when a group of masons discussed starting a fraternity that focused on fellowship more than ritual. It ’s a fraternity based on fun activities and philanthropy and is known for it s founding of the Shriners Children’s Hospital. The Minneapolis center was founded in 1923 and is the largest in the Midwest region, with over 2, 000 members. This fez from Hennepin History Museum’s collection belonged to a member of the Zuhrah Shriners, a Twin Cities chapter of the Shriner International fraternity.
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