The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
"Mummering" or "Jannying" as it is known in some localities, is a very old Newfoundland custom that dates back to the time of the earliest settlers who came to our land from England and Ireland. During the twelve days of Christmas, people disguise themselves with old articles of clothing and visit the homes of their friends and neighbours. The mummers cover their faces with a hood, scarf, mask or pillowcase to keep their identity hidden. Men sometimes dress as women and women as men. The mummers travel from house to house. They usually carry their own musical instruments to play, and to sing and dance in every house they visit. The host and hostess of these "mummers parties" serve a small lunch of Christmas cake with a glass of syrup or blueberry or dogberry wine. All mummers usually drink a Christmas "grog" before they leave each house. A grog is a drink of an alcoholic beverage such as rum or whiskey. Needless to say, the more people you knew, the more houses you visited, the more houses you visited, the more grogs you drank. The more grogs you drank determined the way you felt the next day. Something to Ponder: The Christmas Spirit that goes out with the dried up Christmas tree is just as worthless.
