99:, who wrote and recorded "Any Mummers Allowed In?" (commonly referred to as "The Mummer's Song") in 1982. Folklorist Dr. Joy Fraser has noted that, "in common with many other folk revivals, the resurgence of Christmas mummering in Newfoundland is largely based on a selective and idealised conceptualisation of the custom. As part of this revival, one particular form of mummering - the informal house-visit described above - has come to represent the custom in Newfoundland as a whole, while other forms that were equally prominent in the island’s cultural history have received comparatively little attention."
64:, it typically involves a group of friends or family who dress in disguise and visit homes within their community or neighboring communities during the twelve days of Christmas. If the mummers are welcomed into a house, they often do a variety of informal performances that may include dance, music, jokes, or recitations. The hosts must guess the mummers' identities before offering them food or drink. They may poke and prod the mummers or ask them questions. To make this a challenge for the hosts, the mummers may stuff their costumes, cross-dress, or speak while inhaling (
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92:. Mercer had been murdered by a group of masked mummers on December 28, 1860. The Bill made it illegal to wear a disguise in public without permission of the local magistrate. Mummering in rural communities continued despite the passage of the Bill, although the practice did die out in larger towns and cities.
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An old
Christmas custom from England and Ireland, mummering in a version of its modern form can be traced back in Newfoundland into the 19th century. Although it is unclear precisely when this tradition was brought to Newfoundland by the English and Irish, the earliest record dates back to 1819. Some
106:'s Intangible Cultural Heritage office established what would become an annual Mummers Festival, culminating in a Mummers Parade in St. John's. The success of the festival has influenced, in part, another revitalization and increase of interest in the tradition in the province.
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68:). 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.
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On June 25, 1861, an "Act to make further provisions for the prevention of
Nuisances" was introduced in response to the death of Isaac Mercer in
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81:. The tradition varied, and continues to vary, from community to community. Some formal aspects of the tradition, such as the
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173:"Are Mummers Allowed in? The Newfoundland Holiday Tradition Where Disguised Visitors Drink, Dance, and Swing Your Granny"
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Mercer's death on Dec. 28, 1860, prompted an outright ban against mummering that lasted for the next 100 years.
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344:"Mummers on trial: Mumming, Violence and the Law in Conception Bay and St. John's, Newfoundland, 1831-1863"
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In the 1980s, mummering experienced a revival, thanks to the locally popular musical duo
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Christmas
Traditions on the Memorial University Intangible Cultural Heritage website
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state that the tradition was brought to
Newfoundland by Irish immigrants from
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321:"The dark side of mummering: What you may not know about a beloved tradition"
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459:"Doilies, beer cases and Nan's bras disguise mummers at St. John's parade"
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415:"Mummers Parade keeps Newfoundland Christmas tradition alive: organizer"
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243:"Mummering, Violence and the Law in Nineteenth-Century Newfoundland"
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Shima: The
International Journal of Research into Island Cultures
248:. Memorial University - Institute of Social and Economic Research
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298:"Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way: with drunken mayhem"
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370:"11 Canadian winter festivals to check out across the country"
437:"Hundreds take part in annual Mummers Parade in St. John's"
152:. Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
484:Annual Mummers Festival, St. John's, Newfoundland
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104:Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
41:-time house-visiting tradition practiced in
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439:. CBC News. Dec 14, 2014
394:. CBC News. Dec 14, 2019
461:. CBC News. Dec 8, 2018
269:"Dark side of the mum"
146:"Christmas Traditions"
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342:Fraser, Joy (2009).
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372:. CBC Life
323:. CBC News
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132:References
116:Ugly stick
62:janneying
39:Christmas
35:Mummering
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278:21 June
126:Ķekatas
121:Koliada
72:History
58:mumming
47:Ireland
97:Simani
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