If there are any Newfoundlanders in the area, they will be well versed in the Christmas season tradition of “mummering”. I believe most communities of this country are blessed to have Newfoundlanders in their midst, those who bring their special appreciation of laughter and fun, of resilience and recovery, of art and music. I’ve never met a single soul from Newfoundland/Labrador who didn’t have a hearty laugh.
Mummering is a tradition of laughter and community spirit that found its start generations ago, circa 1819, a tradition brought to the Island by British and Irish settlers. During the twelve days of Christmas, while lords were leaping and maids were milking and swans were swimming, Newfoundlanders disguised themselves using any materials available to them in their home’s drawers and closets – tablecloths, colanders, oven mitts, all sorts – and off they went to knock on neighbours’ doors, and with a laugh and a disguised voice demanded to be let in. The host had to guess who was under the creative disguise before food and drink would be offered. Performances were aplenty with music and rhyme and dance. The word mummer relates to miming, masking, and music. Cross-dressing and disguising the voice, undergarments becoming over garments, and all manner of disguises set the scene.
The custom was interrupted as can sometimes happen when one or more individuals decide to use a happy community gathering to commit a crime. In 1860, Isaac Mercer of Bay Roberts was murdered on December 28th during one such mummering which resulted in the banning of the folksy tradition for the next 100 years. The first course of action in 1861 was to require a licence for mummering and that first season only 150 licences were issued, which resulted in a total ban of mummering in 1862. Mummering went underground, where the tradition continued until it was eventually quieted. But every community Christmas concert had some aspect of mummers on the stage sharing their fun and joy, with music and dance and skits.
Many of my neighbours are Newfoundlanders who speak fondly of the tradition. My neighbour Lil recounts the tales of neighbours walking from home to home in her small community in Bay Vert. There was no need to drive. Lots of fishing gear was used to adorn the costumes, which makes sense considering the history of Newfoundland. Tibb’s Eve celebration was a regular event, celebrating the eve of the Eve of Christmas, or what the rest of us know as December 23rd. There has been a recovery in mummering, a fresh start of this cultural identity. An annual Mummers’ Parade has been held in St. John’s since 2008. The joy and fun created by the event has been restored and its one dark moment in history forgotten.
Cara Kansala and Max Dorey founded the Grumpy Goat Gallery where their hand-carved, hand painted figurines of Mummers became a sought-after collectible. Lil, my neighbour, has “almost” a complete set that sits in a place of honour in her home. The figures stand about a foot tall, and the artists had a keen “eye for whimsy”, as the Gallery proclaims on its website. The artists have since gone on to other whimsical creative endeavours, but the Mummer collection is still a favourite.
I read several reports of mummering written over the years, written by non-Newfoundlanders, and the articles tended to lean more toward the macabre than to community fun. When I inquired of others if they had ever heard of the concept of mummering, without fail the introverts cringed and labelled such an event as their worst nightmare. Many of us have come to distrust those who live around us. I don’t think Newfoundlanders carry the same perspective. I can’t help but remember the days when Sunday drives had people dropping in unannounced. My mother kept a cake handy most Sundays for just such drop-ins. The Sunday scene at our farm in Crozier in winter was the hillside covered with toboggans and screams of delight and a big pot of steaming cocoa on the stove to warm those icy toes when the day’s fun had found its exhausting end. No costumes required.
wendistewart@live.ca
