On Saturday we dressed up and participated in the Mummers Parade in St. John's!
Any mummers 'lowed in?
Mummering is a Christmas tradition in Newfoundland that can be traced back to the 1800s. Traditionally, people would disguise themselves and visit the homes of their friends and neighbours during the Christmas season. They would try to conceal their identities and the hosts would have to guess who each person was. In an effort to disguise themselves and to cause confusion, mummers would often cover their faces, wear each other's clothes, and crossdress.
The mummers would often bring musical instruments to entertain their hosts and the visits usually involved some dancing. Then they would receive some treats (such as Christmas cake) and something to drink before moving on to the next house.
It is difficult to trace back the roots of mummering/mumming, as there are records of mummers from the Middle Ages in various capacities in France, Germany, and England. More recently, the Christmas tradition seems to have been brought to Newfoundland from West Country England and Ireland, where many Newfoundlanders can trace their roots.
It is difficult to trace back the roots of mummering/mumming, as there are records of mummers from the Middle Ages in various capacities in France, Germany, and England. More recently, the Christmas tradition seems to have been brought to Newfoundland from West Country England and Ireland, where many Newfoundlanders can trace their roots.
Mummering doesn't occur in Newfoundland in the same way that it once did, so the Mummers Festival was started to keep the tradition going. The 5th Annual Mummers Festival held a variety of activities throughout December (including the Ugly Stick Making Workshop), that culminated into the Mummers Parade last Saturday!
Anyone and everyone was invited to participate in the Mummers Parade, as long as you were in disguise! This is a quick video we took while we were gathered together before the parade started. People had already starting making some noise with their instruments:
Anyone and everyone was invited to participate in the Mummers Parade, as long as you were in disguise! This is a quick video we took while we were gathered together before the parade started. People had already starting making some noise with their instruments:
Although It was a very chilly day, -19 C including the windchill, there was a significant turn out and people bundled up to face the cold. After marching through the streets of St. John's, we ended up at The Rooms where they had an outdoor reception with 2500 mini fruitcakes and Purity Syrup for all. The pillowcase faces caused us some issues when consuming the tasty treats, but we persevered.
Then the Armagh Rhymers, from Northern Ireland, performed for everyone. They're a group that combines mummering, poetry, music, drama, song and dance into their acts. Unfortunately, it was too cold for them to play their guitars, or perform for very long, but they did sing and do whatever they could. Lots of people were out dancing for their performances and the group did a great job.
The entire experience was awesome and there was a great community feeling throughout. For more information on Mummering in Newfoundland, check out:
"The Mummers Song" - YouTube
Mummering - Wikipedia
Traditions - Mummers Festival
"The Mummers Song" - YouTube
Mummering - Wikipedia
Traditions - Mummers Festival
And here are some more of our pictures from the parade:
