What do you think would happen if you made your way through your neighbourhood in the dark, dressed so that you were unrecognizable, and knocking on doors? Next question: have you ever been arrested?
While what I describe may sound unhinged or sinister it's part of a 500-year-old English tradition I've described before called mummering, or mumming, or janneying. Individuals and groups do all the things listed above and we know first hand because nearly half a century ago we lived in outport Newfoundland and experienced mummers arriving in the night. We found out that these masked and muffled folk would disguise their voices in silly ways, a huge challenge because as newly arrived mainlanders we struggled to understand was English spoken with a strong accent. I'm sure we disappointed people with our lack of provision of strong drink but perhaps they probably didn't expect that from the United Church, aka Methodist minister.
We didn't realize at the time that mummering was nearly extinct in Britain and in Newfoundland and we might have been at the end of the tradition but for a revival in the past couple of decades on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The reason I've come back to the subject is because in the past janneying took place somewhat randomly during the Twelve Days of Christmas between Christmas Day and the Feast of the Epiphany. I noticed that the now annual Mummers Festival in St. John's NL was from November 29 to December 13, two weeks that were out of kilter with the original time frame of Christmastide.
I have tried, without success, to ascertain why this odd practice was connected with the Twelve Days of Christmas as a religious observance and it probably wasn't. I do like that it was connected to a different calendar.
Last comment: people in our outport home of Carmanville encouraged me to be a mummer the following year. At 6 feet, four and a half inches tall I was literally head and shoulders above just about any other male in the community, so I passed on the invitation.
St. John's Mummers Parade
Our History
The Mummers Festival was initially a joint initiative with the Intangible Cultural Heritage division of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and Memorial University’s Folklore Department. The initiative began in 2009 with the intention of passing along a well-researched model to a community group who would continue organizing the Mummers Festival. That year, the Festival included 16 free community events throughout the month of December. In 2010 a Mummers Festival community group was established and run entirely by volunteers. In 2011, the Mummers Festival incorporated as a nonprofit entity. The Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2023.
Our Mandate
To produce festivals for the purpose of education, charity, cultural promotion, community engagement and advancement of the public’s understanding and appreciation of Newfoundland and Labrador folk traditions related to mummering and Christmastime practices; and to assist in the transmission of these folk traditions through participation by the public and tradition-bearers in such festivals and related forums, lectures, workshops, performances and public events.
Our Goal
The Mummers Festival aims to promote the continuance and evolution of traditional arts and performance by encouraging active participation in mummering activities. All events are designed to equip the public with skills and knowledge about mummering so that they can better participate in our Parade day events and, it is hoped, the house-visiting traditions that occur during the twelve days of Christmas.
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