Newfoundlanders - Assignment Example

Newfoundlanders October 19, ‘Christmas mummering’ is a cultural practice that used to be prevalent among Newfoundlanders. It is a practice that is common among many outport communities in Newfoundland. It is an example of calendar custom practices; tied to certain dates or seasons. It involves the practice of people disguising themselves and visiting from house to house. People adopts strange voices to prevent other people from recognizing them. The practice takes place during the Christmas season starting on St.

Stevens’ day (also called Boxing Day). The mummers’ plays are traditional plays that comprise of short dramatic plays. It involves six to twelve actors, playing the roles such as King George, the Turkish Knight, or the Doctor. This practice survives among the Newfoundlanders due to several factors; among them the, geographical, historical and traditional nature of the people, unlike other cultures. Consequently, it this practice is passed from one generation to the next, since time immemorial.

This is despite its perceived death in the 1960s. This practice also thrives because of Newfoundland’s proximity to the sea. Indeed, the practice is said to have source in England and Ireland. Consequently, the practice was inherited due to interactions with visitors from abroad who came through the sea. Following the adaptive nature of the Newfoundlanders to this foreign culture, this practise has stimulated trust and bolstered their relationship. Indeed, the success of this practice heavily depends on preexistence of trust and relationships that prevent the practise from degenerating into violence that can injure the participants.

The practice, however, is considered non-religious and consequently should not be practiced during Christmas or any other Sunday during the period. Moreover, participants place themselves at risk in the hands of other participants during the course of the plays especially those involving mock fight between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.Works citedCustom: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/custom.htm