WheatonArts :: Down Jersey Folklife Center :: Exhibitions :: Past Exhibitions :: Mummers Masks and Costumes
Past Exhibitions
Mummers Masks and Costumes
Select a Collection to View
Mummers Masks and Costumes
Mummery is one of the oldest traditions all over the world. People believed that when the Old Year was over and the new one was coming, there was a period of time when the human order of the world was not stable and bad forces came out of the “other” world. In this period people did a lot of rites to recreate the human order of the world. Mummery is one of them. People wore masks to hide themselves. They had to chase away the bad forces and to be protected against their influence. “Mummer” comes from the Old French word “momer”, which means: “to wear a mask”. Philadelphia style mummers costumes over a period of 120 years as well as costumes from other countries are on display.
|
