The Complete History of Mumming

Over time, mumming morphed into several different practices, with only one fundamental detail being constant – disguising. Today, the term “mumming” has at least two definitions.

In the US, mumming is nearly as popular as in the British Isles. The practice was popularized by George Washington himself, so it can justifiably be considered the core tradition of the nation.

However, Americans never participated in mummer’s plays. Instead, they held mummer parades, a contemporary version of ancient mumming tradition that continues to attract thousands of people to Philadelphia every year.

What Exactly Is Mumming?

Mumming, also known as mummering, has two definitions, both of which are historically correct. The first one states that mumming is a British Christmas tradition of visiting houses in disguise and is also called yanneying.

The second definition refers to the practice of performing traditional English folk play known as mummer’s play.

Mumming as yanneying involves a group of friends, neighbors, of family members dressing up in a way that fully disguises their face and other characteristics that could give out their identity.

The mummers then visit houses in their neighborhood during the Twelve Days of Christmas. If a house owner welcomes the mummers in, they make some sort of performance that may include singing, telling jokes, or dancing.

The host must guess who’s hiding under disguise and can ask the mummers questions. However, guessing a mummer’s identity isn’t that simple.

Mummers deliberately change their voices or dress in clothes of the opposite gender to make the process more challenging.

Upon guessing the mummer’s identity correctly, the host can offer them some food or drink. The mummers then remove their disguise, spend some time with the hosts, and head to the next home in the neighborhood.

Although being a different act in the modern-day, the mummer’s play historically has a lot in common with house-visiting mumming.

Initially, it was a specific play performed by amateur actors also dressed in disguise and visiting houses. Today, actors perform the play at a fixed location instead of traveling from home to home.

In other words, the two acts of mumming were originally very close. Both involved visiting houses in disguise and acting. But over time, these two practices started to head in different directions.

Early History of Mumming

The origins of mumming aren’t definitive. Some historians suggest that the custom originated in Middle Ages England. Others argue that it existed in the Ulster region of Ireland long before the British adopted it, over 2500 years ago.

Historical evidence, indeed, mentions men in tall colonial masks who entertained King Conor of Ireland at the royal fort of Emain Macha in the 12th century. He was the last High King of Ireland before the Anglo-Normans took over the country.

The tradition may have been adopted at the same time – Hanner’s Chronicle features a description of King Henry’s celebration of Christmas in 1172 mentioning mumming: “[…] the sport, and the mirth, and the continual music, the masking, the mumming and strange shows, the gold, the silver, and plate, the precious ornaments, the dainty dishes. […]”

It’s hard to tell what exactly the British and Irish called “mumming” at that time. It could have been a proper folk play performed by professional actors.

Or mumming could have been just a show by local people dressed in disguise, singing and telling jokes, encouraging the audience to guess their identities.

Later mentions of mumming date to the end of the 13th century. The celebration of King Edward’s daughter’s marriage, which was held at Christmas, involved mumming along with fiddlers and minstrels.

At that time, mumming was often mentioned in the context of a performance involving dicing with the King for costly jewels, and if the mummers won, they would join the dancing and feasting guests.

Mummer’s Play

British mummer’s play plot variations were limited to several folk stories. Perhaps, the basic narrative framework of nearly any mummer’s play is based on the legend about Saint George and the Dragon – it’s commonly performed in the UK to this day.

The story narrates about Saint George, a Christian saint who lived in the fourth century, taming and killing an evil, fire-breathing creature.

At first, the villagers used to give the dragon livestock, but they had to start sacrificing other villagers once they ran out of it. This wasn’t a major issue until the dragon chose a young princess as his next offering.

The fight between Saint George and the dragon is an important part of a traditional mummer’s play. The loser, in this case, always the dragon, is then traditionally revived by a doctor character. Sometimes, the process involves sword dance.

Apart from the doctor, dragon, and the main hero, the classic mummer’s play also involves a fool in cap and bells, a presenter, and a man disguised in a woman’s clothes.

Father Christmas also appears in the play when it’s performed throughout the Christmas season.

Since mummer’s plays were initially not resented in theatres but in people’s homes, mummers were in close contact with the audience. For this reason, mummer’s plays often involved audience participation, just like another British traditional play type – pantomime.

The performance ended with a procession of actors heading to the next home, involving dancing and singing.

In Ireland, mummer’s plays were based on Irish folklore and legends rather than on British. Historical records show that a different play was performed every day of the Christmas week and presented by a different group.

So, the carpenter’s guild presented a nativity play; the shoemakers told the story of St. Crispin, their patron saint; the tailors portrayed Adam and Eve; the vintners showed Bacchus, the bakers, Ceres, and the blacksmiths Vulcan.

Over time, mummer performances were becoming more and more intricate, turning from amateur entertainment into professional plays. The action moved from homes to theatres or town market squares.

A particularly notable example is the plays in Irish county Wexford. In the 20th century, Wexford mummer’s plays involved numerous characters from Irish history, such as Saint Patrick, Prince Gorge, and Oliver Cromwell, and a sword dance performed by 12 actors.

Mumming Arrives in the US

Like many Christmas traditions, mumming was brought to the US by British colonists in the 18th century.

But instead of adopting the custom as is, Americans transformed it into mummer parades that don’t involve acting and instead are a sort of carnival. Furthermore, mumming in the US is not Christmas but rather New Year’s tradition.

More specifically, the first record of a mummer-like parade dates to the Revolutionary War. In 1778, the British gave William General Howe a farewell party that entailed dressing up in extravagant costumes.

The first American President, George Washington, must have taken note of this celebration. From 1790 to 1800, Philadelphia was the capital of the US, and the President called mummers on every New Year’s celebration throughout this period.

Mummers would go from door to door, reciting poetry, telling jokes, and even impersonating George Washington himself. However, after Washington’s reign had ended, mumming was declared a public nuisance by the new social leaders.

However, those participating in mumming outnumbered those who were offended by the tradition and continued parading every winter holiday season. In 1901, mummer parades were officially adopted by the city of Philadelphia and started spreading to other states.

Mumming Today

Nowadays, mumming is observed in the UK, Ireland, Australia, parts of Canada, and the US. Each region has varying mumming customs, though the main element, dressing up, persists.

Every New Year’s Day, over 15,000 people participate in Philadelphia’s mummer parade. The procession is divided into four groups and starts with comics dressed in humorous consumes. Often, they parody someone or dance to funny recordings.

The second group of mummers is called fancy division, dressed in colorful consumes and moving on small floats, followed by a string band performing orchestral music in themed consumes.

The last yet not the least interesting group is known as the fancy brigade. It marches through the streets, ending the procession with a ticketed performance.

A famous Newfoundland mumming festival is a time for role reversal when women dress as men and men dress as women. Often, a ghastly horse figure made from bones and shrugs haunts the streets.

People often used mumming as a disguise for criminal activity, so the festival was banned in the region for decades, but now, the tradition seems stronger than ever.

In Irish county Wexford, mummer’s plays haven’t changed a bit since the early 20th century. They still involve all major characters from Irish history and an impressive sword dance. Actor groups travel the county between mid-December and the end of January.

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