When did mummering start in Newfoundland?

1819
Mummering originated in England and Ireland, and the earliest record of it in Newfoundland dates to 1819, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage project. During Christmas season, people would disguise their identities using a mishmash of household items and travel door to door to neighbors’ homes.

What important events happened in Newfoundland?

Timeline

• 986 or 990: Bjarne Herjulvson, a Viking, sighted the coast of Labrador.
• 1497: Newfoundland rediscovered by John Cabot and claimed for England (Britain’s oldest colony) .
• 1500s: English, French, Basque, and Portuguese fishermen contested the area.
• 1534: Jacques Cartier visited Newfoundland.

Why was mummering banned in the 1800s?

It came to a head in 1860 when Isaac Mercer was murdered, which led to a ban on mummering. Though it might have been illegal, mummering persisted, especially in smaller communities where police presence was more lax.

Where did the mummers tradition come from?

History. 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.

What are Newfoundland 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.

How old are the mummers?

The parade has been broadcast since 1993 on WPHL-TV, which has also live streamed the event on its website since 2011. After a national campaign to get the parade nationally televised, an edited two-hour broadcast of the parade was picked up by WGN America and WGN-TV; the broadcast debuted January 3, 2009.

How old is the Newfoundland breed?

The first documented etching dates to the late 1700s and was labeled The Newfoundland Dog — Original Breed. It shows many similarities to the modern version: a large skull, massive size, and well muscled legs. The first Newfoundland breed club began in England a century later, in 1886.

What does mummers mean in Newfoundland?

The custom of ‘mummering’ – in which groups of friends go from house to house, disguising their faces and playing the fool – has sprung back to life in Newfoundland.

What are mummers in Canada?

Mummering is the folksy, but odd, Newfoundland Christmas-time tradition of visiting neighbors at home in strange disguises. Participants “mummer up” (disguise themselves) before going out on their house visits. These are not representative costumes; you aren’t going as a particular character.

What are Mummers in Canada?

Are there female Mummers?

“We’re 85 percent women,” said Crowe, who owns and runs the band. “If I didn’t take women, I wouldn’t be in existence.” Half the bands marching Broad Street this weekend are now co-ed, according to Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association President Tom Loomis.

Why was mummering banned in Newfoundland?

In 1861, one hundred and fifty years ago, mummering was actually banned in Newfoundland because a man was killed by a group of mummers. Mummering, illegal? Mummers also gave a performance visit. A group would go to someone’s house and put on a small play for him or her. The play always had a hero who was killed by a bad guy.

What is the Newfoundland Mummers’ Christmas house-visit?

In 1984, Margaret Roberston wrote a thesis called The Newfoundland Mummers’ Christmas House-Visit 2 , based primarily on the responses to the questionnaire. What she came up with was an extensive summary of the research covering many aspects of the tradition such as mummers’ costumes, mummers’ behaviour, and the types of mummering groups.

What is the history of Mummering?

A Brief History of Mummering…. The act of mummering actually comes from Rome, which is an awfully long way from Newfoundland and Labrador. The tradition was picked up in Great Britain, a tiny bit closer. It was adapted when some of the planters from Great Britain settled in Newfoundland, they brought the tradition of mummering with them.

What happened to the island’s Mummer?

The island’s tradition of mummering was exported from a very specific part of the British Isles and refined into its own particular species, which, threatened by change, almost went extinct—until just a few years ago, when a local organization intervened in its imminent death and resuscitated mummering for the modern world.