Mummering

Mummering
Name	Mummering
Caption	Traditional mummers in costume
Observedby	Newfoundland and Labrador; parts of Ireland; parts of England
Dates	Christmas season; Twelfth Night
Frequency	Annual
Relatedto	New Year; Christmas, Epiphany, Carnival of Venice

Mummering Mummering is a seasonal house-visiting tradition practiced in parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and historically in regions of Ireland, England, and the United States. Rooted in early modern European and insular Irish customs, the practice involves costumed groups, disguised visits, song, dance, and dramatic performance during the winter holiday period. Mummering has been documented in ethnographic studies, newspaper reports, and municipal records, and has intersected with figures and institutions such as Samuel de Champlain, John Cabot, Basil Johnston, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Canadian Heritage, Irish Folklore Commission, Folklore Society (London), and Smithsonian Institution collectors.

History

Scholars trace the origins to medieval and early modern continental and insular customs including wassailing, guising, and the English and Irish mummers plays associated with All Souls' Day, Twelfth Night, and Christmas. English accounts reference performers in the era of Elizabeth I and playwrights like William Shakespeare alluded to masked revelry; in Ireland, the practice was collected by the Irish Folklore Commission and noted alongside figures such as Thomas Moore and Lady Gregory. Colonial transatlantic migration brought related customs to Newfoundland after contact by explorers such as John Cabot and settlers associated with West Country, Cornwall, and Devon maritime communities. 19th- and 20th-century documentation appears in records of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, local newspapers like the St. John's Telegram, and ethnographies by collectors paralleling the work of Edward Sapir and Franz Boas. Legal and social pressures in the 19th and 20th centuries—from municipal bylaws to policing by entities such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—affected practice and led to periodic declines and contestation involving figures like Joseph Smallwood in Newfoundland politics and cultural policy debates involving Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programming.

Traditions and Practices

Traditional practice centers on house-visiting parties of disguised performers who enter homes, offer songs or jokes, present a short dramatic piece, and ask to be identified before revealing themselves. Performances often include elements comparable to mummers' plays collected in England and Ireland, with character types analogous to the Doctor (mumming), the Beelzebub (folk figure), or the Dragon (folklore), and occasionally borrow motifs from the repertoire of Punch and Judy shows. Host responses sometimes involve food and drink traditions found in winter rituals tied to Christmas and New Year observances, echoing accounts in archives of the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador and travel writings by visitors like Marius Barbeau. Community regulation, amateur dramatic societies such as the St. John's Theatre Festival, and parish organizations have shaped how parties organize, route, and perform.

Regional Variations

Variants appear across Newfoundland communities and in diasporic pockets in Canada and the United States, each reflecting local settlement patterns from ports like Bristol, Bideford, and Waterford. In some Newfoundland outports, parties emphasize dance and comic declamation reminiscent of Irish traditional music sessions at establishments like The Celt Pub; in other areas, elaborate disguises reflect craft traditions linked to artisans in places like Bonavista and Twillingate. Similar house-visiting customs in County Cork, County Kerry, and County Donegal preserve related motifs collected by folklorists including Seamus Ennis and Máire Ní Chinnéide. Urban adaptations in St. John's and regional festivals hosted by institutions such as The Rooms museum have produced staged reconstructions influenced by international carnival forms like Masquerade (carnival) and engagements with cultural organizations including Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.

Music, Costumes, and Performances

Musical elements draw on fiddle, accordion, concertina, and vocal repertoires shared with performers like Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, The Chieftains, Great Big Sea, and local fiddlers documented in collections by CBC Radio One and the Smithsonian Folkways archives. Costumes range from improvised disguises using household textiles to tailored ensembles featuring masks, painted faces, and props reminiscent of characters in York Mystery Plays and Welsh Mari Lwyd processions. Performance techniques include call-and-response songs, scripted comic sketches, and physical comedy influenced by touring troupes such as D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in related performance history. Contemporary recordings and filmic treatments by documentarians parallel work on folk performance by Alan Lomax and filmmakers in the tradition of Flaherty Film Seminar alumni.

Cultural Significance and Reception

Mummering occupies contested cultural terrain, positioned as heritage in municipal marketing by bodies like Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador while also sparking debates about public order and representation involving media outlets such as The Globe and Mail and cultural commentators connected to institutions like Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ethnographers and cultural historians—including researchers affiliated with University College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, and Memorial University—have analyzed mummering in conversations about identity, diaspora, and intangible heritage, comparing it to European customs recognized by organizations such as UNESCO. Critics and supporters have invoked notable cultural figures—from Ricky May to local tradition-bearers—to argue for festivalization, preservation, or reinvention.

Modern Revival and Contemporary Celebrations

Recent decades have seen revival efforts structured by community arts groups, municipal festivals, and academic partnerships. Events staged by organizations like Heritage NL, volunteer ensembles affiliated with Folk Arts Society of NL, and winter festivals in St. John's integrate workshops, recorded oral histories, and school programs modeled after folk pedagogy from entities such as Folklore Society (London), Irish Traditional Music Archive, and university folklore departments. Contemporary adaptations appear at events ranging from heritage concerts at The Rooms to street parades influenced by global carnival practices seen at Notting Hill Carnival and Carnaval de Québec, engaging performers from local choirs, theatre companies like Rising Tide Theatre, and music acts akin to Figgy Duff. Revival work often emphasizes documentation, community consent, and collaboration with elders, museums, and cultural funders including Canada Council for the Arts and provincial arts councils.

Category:Festivals in Newfoundland and Labrador