Penzance Guizers.
Penzance Guizers were formed in May 2012 to learn the art of guising
from Tudor times to the present.
The workshops, run by Helen Musser, cover all forms of Cornish dance
and it’s revival history, historical folk and court dance, with an accent on
technique.
Winter 2014 saw them developing their skills in another Mummers Play.
They have performed in public on many occasions including Montol,
Lafrowda, Golowan and during the Twelve Days of Christmas, guising
with their own regular band, with the Turkey Rhubarb band and at a
Jacobean event with Ros Keltek.
In the summer of 2015 they performed at the International Day of
Dance in the National Botanical Garden of Wales, Carmarthen.
Sourced from https://mummerscat.com
A History
In medieval Europe, ‘mummer’ was a term for a costumed performer
or reveller. There are several theories about where the word came from:
- An old French word, momer, meaning “to mask oneself.”
- The English word ‘mum,’ as in “quiet,” because mummers commonly performed silent pantomimes.
- Momus, the Greek god of mockery and satire, who is traditionally depicted lifting a mask from his face.
The practice of mumming has historically been associated with holidays
and celebrations. In France, January 1st was a day when the common
folk donned masks and costumes to trade roles with the powerful for a
day in a festival known as The Feast of Fools. In England, masked
celebrations took place on the last Tuesday before Lent, a tradition
connected to the wild merrymaking of Mardi Gras and Carnivale .
In England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, mummers’ plays were
performed to celebrate special occasions. This tradition is depicted
by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where four
commoners come together to perform a mummers’ play for the
wedding of two nobles, only to be caught up in Puck’s pranks.
Mummers’ plays were traditionally performed on Mayday, Christmas,
Twelfth Night, New Year’s Eve/Day, Easter, and just before Lent, as
well as at special celebrations such as weddings and coronation.
Modern-Day Mummers
Mumming has survived into the present day in a number of forms.
Mummer’s plays are still performed in parts of England and some
English-speaking countries, either in the street, at public houses,
or as the mummers travel in costume from house to house (a practice
known as ‘guising’). They are usually performed during the Christmas
season, but sometimes on All Souls Day or Easter.
In Philadelphia, the Mummers Parade is an annual spectacle that takes
place on New Year’s Day. Each year, thousands of mummers march in
elaborate costumes, alongside floats built by competing clubs.
In Newfoundland, ‘mummering’ is a Christmas folk tradition in which
groups would disguise themselves and wander from house to house at
night, with faces covered. The mummers often carried musical
instruments, playing, singing, and dancing for their hosts in exchange
for food or drink. At each house, the visitors would let the hosts try to
guess their identity, only unmasking when a correct guess was made.
It is easy to see the origins of many aspects of Halloween in mumming
as well. The “trick-or-treat!” called out by children as they go from house
to house, the wild costumes and disguises, and the spirit of impish
revelry we associate with October 31st are all deeply rooted in this
tradition.
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