‘It's important to know where we came from’: Days of ’47 Parade honors all pioneers

Horses clomped through the streets, accompanied by marching bands, bagpipes and upbeat music. Vintage cars from the early 1900s, decorated floats and dancers dressed in traditional pioneer clothing rewarded the many spectators Monday who watched one of the nation's oldest parades.

Since July 24, 1849, Salt Lake City has hosted a parade on Pioneer Day to honor those who trekked across the plains and made Utah home. In 2023 — 174 years later — Utah participants and spectators gathered again to celebrate the age-old tradition.

“I think it's a very important part of Utah's culture because you have to just remember the people that came here came because they were forced out of their homes — so they were running, looking for somewhere that they could, you know, be the people that they wanted to be,” said Marilee Schneider, a member of the Days of ’47 Parade committee. “They got us here, and it makes it wonderful for us, so I'm grateful.”

Eight-year-old Melanie Silva agreed, noting that the parade “was so fun” and that she especially loved the Days of ’47 Parade's reenactment of pioneers dancing.

“I think it's important because we get to see our ancestors,” Silva said.

The parade had 37 floats and 120 entries, according to Schneider. Some of those entries included vintage cars, handcarts and rides featuring the Salt Lake City Council.

Many other entries featured musical bands and performers, including the Utah Pipe Band and several marching bands from high schools across Utah.

And playing music — while difficult in the hot weather — especially honors Utah's ancestors, according to Amme Swasey, the Copper Hills High School marching band woodwind technician.

"Music got them through walking over here to Utah; they would sing songs and celebrate together, and so I think it's just cool to see how music has carried itself through here to our traditions, especially in Utah," Swasey said.

Along with the marching bands, several parade entries and decorated floats — many sponsored by stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — continued to celebrate Utah's pioneer heritage, including the Mormon Battalion Association and the Sons of Utah Pioneers.

Not all the floats and entries honored just the pioneers who had trekked west; in fact, one particular float celebrated the sacrifices of Tongan pioneers and won the People's Choice Award, the Children's Choice Award and the Days of ’47 Sweepstakes Award.

With its outrigger canoe, native Tongan flowers, dancers dressed in traditional Tongan clothing, and a large model of the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple, the Salt Lake Utah Tongan West Stake's float garnered cheers and excited waves of the Tongan flag from various participants as the float made its way across Salt Lake City’s streets.

“I think it's really special for us as pioneers here in Salt Lake, because a lot of times you think of pioneers coming from the east with hand wagons, going through bad weather — so it's nice to recognize our ancestors coming across the ocean,” said Olfa Halaufia, a contributor to the float.

Tesia Fakatou, a spectator in the parade with a Tongan flag wrapped around her shoulders, smiled as she noted how excited the float had made her.

“I don't feel like we really get a lot of representation, but here in Utah, we're such a big percentage of the people here, and it's awesome to see people come out,” Fakatou said.

Fakatou added that seeing Polynesian and Mexican representation helped her recognize that the Days of ’47 Parade doesn't just honor the pioneer ancestors who crossed the plains, but all pioneers who immigrated to the U.S. for better lives.

“These people have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, have come from so many miles from home — and they traveled here,” Fakatou said. “I think the parade is a really great celebration of that and honoring of that.”

In fact, for the Fernandez family, recent immigrants from Argentina having attended a U.S. parade for the first time, the Days of ’47 Parade exemplified that very concept.

“This is a good reminder of all those people that suffered, that had really hard times in the past, and what they had gone through to get here — and I think that's a good reminder. I think Pioneer Day helps remember that,” said Shamira Fernandez.

Fakatou agreed, noting that “it's important to know where we came from.”

“I think forgetting history leads to forgetting who we are,” Fakatou said. “And so I think that it's important to look back on our ancestors, and look back on the people who suffered to put us where we are, to make us grateful.”