Quite often you can hear such a term as “mummers”. This word has several meanings. It appeared in ancient Russia and is directly related to the Nativity of Christ and Shrovetide. The meaning of the word "mummers" and its origin will be discussed in this article.
We look in the dictionary
In order to better understand the meaning of the term, you need to turn to the dictionary, which says that "mummers":
- a man in a costume for a masquerade;
- beautifully dressed, elegant (outdated);
- conditional, agreed upon;
- not real, fake.
First of all, mummers are a group of people reincarnated with the help of masks, clothes and other attributes. Their actions were associated with caroling, Epiphany evening and Shrovetide. Also among the Slavs, the mummers were present during weddings. There are cases when people dressed in masks and costumes during a funeral, but these were local cases.
In Europe
In the European tradition, mummers are a must-have item for a celebration such as Halloween or during a carnival. Presumably, she appeared after the world-famous Venetian masquerade, which, in turn, has deeper roots.
According to the researchers, the tradition of dressing and wearing masks is associated with ancient rituals, mysteries, saturnalia and carnivals. They were held at certain times and were dedicated to various gods or the harvest festival and the end of agricultural work.
In European countries, mummers are people dressed in various costumes and masks, as well as parts of bodies painted with paints or soot. At the same time, they had various objects that created noise, or musical instruments (drums, tambourines, pipes, etc.). They sang, danced and rejoiced at the event to which the carnival (masquerade) was dedicated.
In Russia
In Russia, mummers dressed in various costumes and masks for Christmas and went to caroling. This ritual was the performance of songs and dances by several disguised people in masks of goats, bears and even horses. After graduation, the mummers were treated to low-alcohol alcohol, mead or beer, and they also gave various snacks, sometimes a little money.
In the Old Russian tradition, people (carollers) dressed in costumes and masks symbolized the souls of dead ancestors, who needed to be appeased. This was done so that the cattle were healthy and brought offspring, and the owners gathered a good harvest and prosperity, health and happiness reigned in the house.
The mummers walked around the yards and thus collected a lot of food and a small amount of money, while paying tribute to traditions and delighting people on holidays. Most often in this role were vagrant artists (buffoons, etc.) who were preparing for caroling in advance.
Features
Going deep into the question of who they are, mummers in Russia, it is necessary to clarify how exactly they differed from European people dressed in masquerade costumes and masks. If in Europe the carnival was dedicated to pagan myths and deities, then in Ancient Russia carollers performances, although they had a pagan bias in their origins, were held on Christian holidays. The mummers also read prayers and sang some church songs, for which they were often called God's servants. Often after reading the prayers, the carollers sprinkled the hosts with holy water, which was a symbol of purification.
Despite this, the canonical church considered the mummers as apostates and demonic minions. They were condemned and persecuted. First of all, this applied to those who were caroling at Shrovetide, as this holiday is closely connected with the pagan Slavic god Perun.
Other meaning
In conclusion, it should be noted that the term "mummers" is used in relation, for example, to the current Cossacks. By it, some researchers understand falsity and forgery. That is, modern Cossacks, in their opinion, created their own movement, supposedly based on the Cossacks that existed in Tsarist Russia.
However, opponents of these formations argue with argument the movement itself, based on historical facts. In other words, they believe that these are false Cossacks who have nothing to do with the movement that was in the 18-20 centuries. In the future, the term "mummers", that is, fake ones, was assigned to them. Having put on a uniform, having established various awards for themselves, they became fake, “fake” Cossacks, for which they received a similar nickname.