Moomba
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Moomba is an annual festival in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend (the first Friday to the second Monday in March), and has been celebrated since 1954. It is run by the City of Melbourne Council.
Highlights of this family festival include water-skiing in the Yarra River, a carnival, and floats through the streets of Melbourne. The floats have an annual theme, usually an elaboration on "Let's get together and have fun", the avowed mission and vision statement of Moomba. The floats are usually from sister cities (of which Melbourne has six), schools and community groups. They also promote some aspect of the arts, like singing, dancing, or design.
In 2001, the floats came under controversy when some contained representations of nude people. In the past few years Birdmen have added to the colour of the festival, and applications are welcome during a two-month period.
Moomba celebrities include Ernie Sigley and Denise Drysdale, and the clowns from Peters Ice Cream, Zig and Zag. A local urban legend claims that the word "Moomba" means "asshole" in the local Aboriginal dialect. The official translation of the word is "Let's get together and have fun".
External links
- Melbourne City Council's Moomba page (http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/index.cfm?categoryid=3&contentfile=infopage.cfm&topicid=116)
- Snopes.com entry on the word "Moomba" (http://www.snopes.com/language/misxlate/moomba.asp)