#SATURNALIA MUMMERS MOVIE#

Those who have looked into the Bible realize that neither Saturnalia, Mummers, Mithras, nor Christmas observances are biblical. Mummers parades seem to be an offshoot of that. Of course, those who have looked into the whole ‘Christmas/New Years’ season realize that Jesus was not born on December 25th and that the dates and many observances of those “holidays” were modifications from pagan practices. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born… The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.

The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors.

It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. While researching Mummers, I ran across an article titled Christmas’ Pagan Origins that had the following: Many practices associated with the pagan Saturnalia are retained in modern ‘Christmas’ celebrations. įrom what I have been able to tell, the Mummers event is becoming a bigger and bigger deal in Philadelphia. A key element was visiting people in disguise at Christmas. “Mummers and “guisers” (performers in disguise) can be traced back at least to the Middle Ages, though when the term “mummer” appears in medieval manuscripts it is rarely clear what sort of performance was involved. It was, and still is, embraced in parts of Newfoundland. The Christmas tradition, sometimes known as “janneying,” dates back to the 1800s in England and Ireland. Shaun Majumder, a Newfoundland-born comedian and veteran cast member of This Hour has 22 Minutes, will hit the ground running Saturday in Fort McMurray, camera crew in tow, as he films a segment for the CBC-based sketch news show’s hour-long holiday special, set to air Dec.

#SATURNALIA MUMMERS MOVIE#

Though it looks more like a scene from a horror movie than the age old Christmas tradition it is, mummering is coming to Fort McMurray, but rest assured, the seemingly maligned masses are filled only with lumpy pillows, grain alcohol and the holiday spirit. John’s, Newfoundland, a festival based on English and Irish traditions that involve people dressing in disguises and visiting homes in their communities during the 12 days of Christmas…Davis, who said this year’s festival will include costume workshops, history lectures and a Dec.

Ĭhristmas “Mummer’s Festival”…the 5th Annual Mummer’s Festival in St.

The use of masks and different costumes were carried over from the Greek celebrations of King Momus, the Italian-feast of saturnalia, and the British Mummery Play. The traditions of other nationalities were also present. Later they extended their period of celebration to include New Year’s day, and welcomed the new year with masquerades and parades of noisy revelers. When the Swedes came to Tinicum, just outside of Philadelphia, they brought there custom of visiting friends on “Second Day Christmas”, December 26.

Saturnalia mummers