Mummers in Newfoundland
Tradition of Masks and Merrymaking during Twelve Nights of Christmas
Who are the Mummers?
Mummers also called ‘Jannies’, have been a tradition in Newfoundland since colonists from England brought the custom at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Mummer comes from the old French ‘momer’ which means to wear a mask; pantomime. In particular, it refers to a masked or costumed merrymaker, especially at a festival.
Christmas revellers disguise themselves with old clothing and cover their faces with a hood, scarf or mask and go from house to house in their community sometime during the twelve nights of Christmas. When the householder responds to the mummers’ tapping on the door, the visitors using disguised voices ask, “Any mummers ‘lowed in?”
If they are welcomed in, they usually entertain their hosts with humorous antics and the musical instruments they carry, very often a fiddle. Some hosts offer alcoholic drinks and some serve cake or other sweets. A great guessing game ensues as the hosts try to guess the identities of the mummers. When correctly identified, the revellers remove their masks, but if not identified, they can keep them on.
Although mummers still appear annually in parts of Newfoundland, England and Ireland, and there is an annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia, this masquerade died out in most of North America long ago.
Mummers History From Pagan Rituals
Various theories of the mummers’ origin exist–that it is a fragment of ancient pagan celebrations that evolved over time and within different countries is agreed. Many believe that the celebrations are almost a rite of passage, though some people didn’t approve because they were from the pagans.
Originally, mummering was a very short play with a cast of three main players and three minor ones that the revellers performed in each home they visited. It was the enacting of an ancient ritual drama of life, battle, death, and resurrection that is brought about by the magical works of a witch doctor, and is interpreted as possibly the renewal of life after winter. The spectators broke out in laughter when the comic element of the performance entered the play at that point. This custom of performance is seldom seen now.
The Mummer's Song
Mummers’ celebrations, banned for more than one hundred years because of violence that occurred, were renewed and revitalized during the past thirty years. For a time, the old tradition of ‘Mummering or ‘Jannying’, as it is sometimes called, seemed to fade especially in the larger centers of Newfoundland. Thanks to the popular musical duo, Simini, who wrote and recorded "The Mummer's Song" in 1982, mummering has been revived.
It is just as prevalent and popular as it was years ago and young and old look forward to dressing up this Christmas, knocking on a friend's door and calling out "ANY MUMMERS ALLOWED IN?"
Mummer's Fiddle
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