Mummering facts for kids
Mummering is a fun Christmas tradition. It involves people dressing up in disguises and visiting homes. This custom is popular in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland, the City of Philadelphia, and parts of the United Kingdom.
People also call it mumming or janneying. It usually involves a group of friends or family. They wear costumes and visit houses in their community. This happens during the twelve days of Christmas. If welcomed, the mummers often perform. They might dance, play music, tell jokes, or recite poems. The people living in the house must guess who the mummers are. They do this before offering them food or drinks. To make it harder, mummers might stuff their clothes. They might also speak in a funny way. Once guessed, mummers take off their disguises. They then spend time with the hosts. After that, they move on to the next house.
History of Mummering
Mummering is an old Christmas custom. It comes from England and Ireland. In Newfoundland and Labrador, it has been around since the 1800s. The first record of it there is from 1819. Some believe Irish people from County Wexford brought it over. The tradition has always been a bit different in each community. Some parts, like formal mummers' plays, are not common anymore. The house-visiting part is still very popular.
Changes to the Tradition
In 1861, a new law was made. It was called "An Act to make further provisions for the prevention of Nuisances." This law came after a sad event. A man named Isaac Mercer died in Bay Roberts in 1860. This happened after an encounter with a group of masked mummers. The new law made it illegal to wear a disguise in public. You needed special permission from a local judge. Even with this law, mummering continued in smaller towns. But it stopped in bigger cities.
Mummering Makes a Comeback
In the 1980s, mummering became popular again. This was partly thanks to a music group called Simani. They wrote a famous song in 1982. It was called "Any Mummers Allowed In?" People often call it "The Mummer's Song." A folk expert, Dr. Joy Fraser, noted something interesting. She said that the new interest in mummering focuses on the house-visiting part. Other older forms of mummering are not as well-known now.
In 2009, a special group started a festival. It was the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. They created an annual Mummers Festival. It ends with a big Mummers Parade in St. John's. This festival has helped more people learn about mummering. It has also made the tradition even more popular across the province.
See also
- Ugly stick
