“How do you mummer anyway?”: a lecture & public forum with mummers
Wednesday, December 12 2012 | 7 – 8:30 pm | The Rooms Theatre
We all know what mummers look and sound like, but there’s much more to it than dressing up and dancing around like a fool. Want to learn some tricks of the trade? We’ve invited a group of mummers from the Southern Shore to share some of their experiences. 
Even if you’re a seasoned mummer, the Southern Shore crowd might do things differently from you—come and see. We’ll ask all the vital questions: Which houses have the best food and drink?; What are the best ways to disguise yourself?; To knock or not to knock?; And how do you go to the bathroom in a costume like that? Hear about the many aspects of a mummer’s night out.The second half of the program invites Dr. Gerald Pocius from Memorial’s Department of Folklore to discuss the impact of music on the mummering tradition. In 1983, a band from Fortune Bay named Simani released a song entitled “Any Mummers Allowed In?” Commonly known as “The Mummers Song,” the hit tune became overwhelmingly popular overnight. “The Mummers Song” encapsulated the events of a typical night of mummering and, according to Pocius, became the popular text for the Newfoundland Christmastime house-visit.
Even if you’re a seasoned mummer, the Southern Shore crowd might do things differently from you—come and see. We’ll ask all the vital questions: Which houses have the best food and drink?; What are the best ways to disguise yourself?; To knock or not to knock?; And how do you go to the bathroom in a costume like that? Hear about the many aspects of a mummer’s night out.The second half of the program invites Dr. Gerald Pocius from Memorial’s Department of Folklore to discuss the impact of music on the mummering tradition. In 1983, a band from Fortune Bay named Simani released a song entitled “Any Mummers Allowed In?” Commonly known as “The Mummers Song,” the hit tune became overwhelmingly popular overnight. “The Mummers Song” encapsulated the events of a typical night of mummering and, according to Pocius, became the popular text for the Newfoundland Christmastime house-visit.