Do you know about the tradition of mummering in Newfoundland? Imagine, in the Christmas season, opening your door to a group of strangely-dressed, totally disguised people: mummers! You invite them in. They’re your friends, and you’ve got to guess who they are. Which is hard, because they might be wearing the strangest clothing ever, cross-dressing, disguising their voices, and whatnot. Once you’ve figured out who they are, they reveal themselves. You serve them something festive and have a visit before they head off to puzzle somebody else.
I love this idea. It makes me think about moving to Newfoundland.
If the idea of mummering intrigues you, head over to Hakai Magazine for this article: Return of the Mummers. The article summary: “The people of Newfoundland and Labrador revive an eccentric tradition that’s part Christmas, part Halloween, to celebrate the holidays.”
Sounds excellent.
Related links:
- Mummering – Wikipedia
- Performing arts: mummering – Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador
- Mumming – Canadian Encyclopedia
I loved ‘Return of the Mummers’. This isn’t a custom I’d heard anything about before but it reminds me a little of the various European carnevales. I was in Lucerne, Switzerland for a few hours in January and bumped into a street parade that sounded very similar to aspects of mummering! The idea of visiting your friends in costume and disguising your identity is brilliant.
It would be awfully fun, wouldn’t it?