mumming
Masked folk acting
Mumming is the folk practice of wearing costumes and masks to perform short plays or visit neighbors, especially during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Mummers traditionally go door to door in disguise, often performing stylized dramas with stock characters.
The tradition survives in parts of Britain, Ireland, and Newfoundland, and in Philadelphia's elaborate New Year's Day parade: The mumming tradition dates back centuries in this village.
Festive door-to-door singing
- midwinterSeason's coldest period
- solsticeDay of maximum tilt
- yuletideWinter holiday period
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
heritage · folklore · ritual · custom · revival · procession · ceremony · observance
Costumed folk play performers
- Saint GeorgeEngland's protecting martyr
- sword danceChoreographed movement with weapons
- disguisingConcealing by altered appearance
- recitationOral delivery from memory
troupe · players · presenter · interlude · improvisation · script · audience · rehearsal
Face-worn concealment
- costumeClothing for portrayal
- guiseExternal manner shown
- blackfaceRacist performance makeup tradition
- false faceWorn facial disguise
veiling · concealment · anonymity · cross-dressing · incognito · transformation · unrecognizable · hidden identity
Noisy, lively celebration
- merrymakingLively, cheerful celebration
- carnivalTraveling amusement attraction
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- processionFormal moving line
parade · Mardi Gras · Carnival · festival · feast · holiday · gaiety · conviviality
Halloween candy solicitation
- SamhainCeltic harvest-end observance
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- masksFace-covering disguises
- door-to-doorDirectly between residences
candy · neighborhood · children · autumn · October · spirits · supernatural
wassailing
Festive door-to-door singing
medieval · heritage · folklore · ritual · custom · revival · procession · ceremony · observance · guilds
mummers
Costumed folk play performers
- Saint GeorgeEngland's protecting martyr
- sword danceChoreographed movement with weapons
- disguisingConcealing by altered appearance
recitation · troupe · players · presenter · interlude · improvisation · script · audience · rehearsal · act
mask
Face-worn concealment
false face · veiling · concealment · anonymity · cross-dressing · incognito · transformation · unrecognizable · hidden identity · reveal
revelry
Noisy, lively celebration
- merrymakingLively, cheerful celebration
- carnivalTraveling amusement attraction
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
procession · parade · Mardi Gras · Carnival · festival · feast · holiday · gaiety · conviviality · entertainment
trick-or-treat
Halloween candy solicitation
door-to-door · candy · neighborhood · children · autumn · October · spirits · supernatural
- folk artstribal art, folk opera, folk theater, Celtic knotwork, Navajo weaving
- folk customsfolk dances, folk customs, burial rite, folk costumes, folk traditions
- folk traditionsfolk songs, folk dance, folk dances, folk tunes, folklore
- British Folklorefairy, fairies, pixie, pixies, brownie
- European Folkloremaypole, Morris dancing, folk dancing, folk costume, folk costumes
- Irish pastimesGaelic football, hurling, traditional music, pub culture, Irish music
mummingoratory
Formal eloquent discourse
declamation · speaking · oration · recitation · public speaking
mummingunmasking
Revealing what's hidden
self-revelation · self-disclosure · openness · transparency · candor
- cat mummiesEmbalmed sacred felines
- sugar mummiesWealthy older female patrons