Mumming is an ancient tradition that is all but faded from the general population's memory and seasonal customs. It predates the tradition of putting on a costume for Halloween and other parties, and probably is the forerunner to our modern-day custom of trick-or-treating. If one is to look up the term "mummer" on Google, one would find mostly a mummer being described as a person who dresses up and puts on seasonal plays. But a mummer was so much more.
A mummer, according to Celtic and Nordic folk traditions, is not only someone who disguises himself to perform in seasonal plays, but he is also a being that walks between the worlds - between the mundane and the spiritual. This is why in old Scottish traditions the mummers on Hogmanay (New Year's) would travel to loved ones' homes and perform an old custom of what is believed to have been driving away evil spirits.
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3 comments:
I remember going to a Mummers Day parade in Hagerstown Maryland as a kid. I believe the traditional parade carries on.
There’s a song called the mummer’s dance. Always wondered what it meant.
Just checked and that came out in 97 and I remember it back then. Ugh
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