Practiced On

Halloween, Christmas

Country of Origin 

1819 England and Ireland from written record, Oral history shows it was practiced earlier

Similar/Related Traditions:

Trick-or-Treating, Guising, Souling, Trunk-or-Treating, Calaveritas

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Irish and British tradition where groups of friends and families go house-to-house and are invited inside to perform a song, dance, music, jokes, recitations or a "mummer's play" before being offered food and drink

- Precursor to Trick-or-Treating

Brief Bio

Mumming involves groups of costumed community members performing traditional folk plays and dances, often house-to-house, to celebrate the changing seasons, particularly the winter solstice. The most common form is a "mummer's play," a dramatic folk play featuring characters who engage in a fight, with one character dying and being revived by a doctor, symbolizing themes of death and rebirth. Mumming also includes the tradition of house-to-house visits during holidays, such as Christmas and Halloween, where performers sing, dance, play music, and bring good luck to households.