What does Mummers mean in Newfoundland?
What does Mummers mean in Newfoundland?
Mummering, or mumming, is a Christmas-time house-visiting tradition practised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland and parts of the United Kingdom. Once the mummers have been identified, they remove their disguises, spend some social time with the hosts, and then travel as a group to the next home.
What is the Canadian word for Mummers?
The earliest record of mummering in Canada is in 1819. It now takes place each year around Christmas. Also known in Newfoundland as jennying or jannying, this folk tradition involves people dressing up in flamboyant clothes, masking their faces and distorting their voices in order to conceal their identities.
What is the Mummer tradition?
The Philadelphia Mummers Parade is believed to be one of the oldest folk festivals in America, and a tradition that has been going on since the time of ancient Egyptians. However, the word Mummer can be traced back to ancient Greece. It is derived from Momus, the personification of satire and mockery.
When should I go Mummering?
The tradition takes place during the 12 days of Christmas—the time between Christmas and old Christmas Day in early January. Mummering has existed in some form in many Western European countries (especially Ireland and West County England) since the Middle Ages, though it has largely been lost to history.
How much does it cost to be a mummer?
For a 65-person troop, the total cost can be around $100,000, with the most expensive costumes costing around $10,000 a pop. It’s more than a parade. It’s a competition. Mummers don’t just parade down the street, pack up their stuff, and go home.
How much does it cost to be in the Mummers Parade?
What does it all add up to? When you factor in all of these items, as a conservative number to produce a top notch presentation in the Philadelphia Mummer’s Parade, you’re looking at about $100,000 total for a four and-a-half minute show.
What is the point of the Mummers Parade?
As for just what the point of the Mummers Parade, which began in 1901, is, Squilla said that “it’s almost impossible” to describe. “It’s just a celebration of ringing in the New Year with love and festivities and art and culture,” he said.
Can a woman be a mummer?
“It’s any man, woman or child involved in the fantasy of song, dance and costume splendor on each January 1st in the annual Philadelphia New Year’s Day parade,” said Martz. The mummers devote an entire year to crafting their costumes, writing their skits and rehearsing their performances.
Will the Mummers march in 2021?
Rogue, maskless Mummers kick off 2021 with ‘protest’ through South Philly. For the first time in decades, the new year has dawned in Philadelphia without a formal Mummers Parade to accompany it. Mayor Jim Kenney canceled the parade in July out of concern about the pandemic.
Where is the Mummers Parade on New Years Day?
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. Local clubs (usually called New Years Associations) compete in one of four categories (comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades).
Who is the director of the Mummers Parade in Newfoundland?
A disguised Ryan Davis, executive director of the Mummers Festival, leads the 9th annual parade through the streets of St. John’s, Newfoundland. ST. JOHN’S, NL—We are an androgynous, gender-bending spectacle, disguised, not costumed, faces obscured by white veils and grotesque masks.
What do they wear to the Mummers Festival in Newfoundland?
Joel Upshall/Courtesy Mummers Festival One day each year, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the streets are filled with misshapen, masked figures. They are wrapped in quilts and oversized jackets, or bright boots and distinctive dresses, with undergarments worn on the outside.
When does Christmas mummering start in Newfoundland and Labrador?
Christmas Mummering Traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador, says the centuries-old tradition of making disguised house visits during the 12 days of Christmas typically begins on Boxing Day. It arrived here in the 1800s with early settlers from England and Ireland and took off in isolated outport communities.
