Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

MUMMERS

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 966 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

MUMMERS , bands of men and See also:

women in See also:medieval and later See also:England and elsewhere, who, during periods of public festivity, particularly at See also:Christmas, dressed in fantastic clothes and wearing masks or disguised as animals, serenaded the See also:people outside their houses or joined in the See also:revels within. In a more restricted sense the See also:term is applied to the actors in the old See also:English rural folk-plays of St See also:George, &c.; and "mumming " thus becomes a contemptuous synonym for any See also:form of See also:stage-playing. The origin of the word mummer (older spelling. " mommer," Fr. momeur) is not satisfactorily explained; but the verb " to mum" means both to mutter and to be silent, and " mummer " apparently comes from one or both of these senses. Mumming seems to have been a survival of the See also:Roman See also:custom of masquerading during the See also:annual orgies of the Saturnalia. " The disguisyng and mummyng that is used in Christemase tyme," See also:Langley writes in his synopsis of Polydore See also:Virgil, " in the Northe partes came out of the feasts of See also:Pallas, that were done with visars and painted visages, named Quinqatria of the Romaynes." Aubanus, See also:writing of mumming in See also:Germany, says that " in the Saturnalia there were frequent and luxurious feastings amongst See also:friends, presents were mutually sent, and changes of See also:dress made: that Christians have adopted the same customs, which continue to be used from the Nativity to the See also:Epiphany: that exchanges of dress too, as of old among the See also:Romans, are See also:common, and neighbours by mutual invitation visit each other in the manner which the Germans See also:call mummery." Christmas was the See also:grand See also:season for mumming in England. Some were disguised as bears, others as unicorns, or wore See also:deer's hide and antler's or See also:ram's horns. Mumming led to such outrages that See also:Henry VIII. issued a See also:proclamation declaring the wearing of a See also:mask or disguise a See also:misdemeanour. See also:Stow gives an See also:account of an elaborate mummery held in 1377 by the See also:London citizens to amuse the son of the See also:Black See also:Prince, then living at See also:Kennington (Survey, 1603, p. 97). In See also:Scotland, where mumming still exists at Christmas, See also:Hogmanay, New See also:Year's See also:Day and See also:Handsel See also:Monday, mummers are called " guisards." They usually See also:present on these four nights a See also:rude See also:drama called Galatian, which, in various versions, is common throughout the Lowlands of Scotland (see See also:Chambers's Popular Rhymes, p. 170).

End of Article: MUMMERS

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
MULTITUBERCULATA 		[next]
MUMMIUS, LUCIUS (2nd century B.c.)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries