Newfoundland Traditions

I may live in Alberta, but my roots will always lie in Newfoundland. I am what is known in Newfoundland as a "Townie". This means I was born and raised in the "big city" of St. John's. My mother however is from a small town that is called Hearts Content. (Yes we have interesting names in Newfoundland). Anyhow, being from a small town, my mother grew up participating in an annual Christmas tradition called Mummering.

"Mummering in Newfoundland and Labrador describes the Christmastime practice of visiting several homes throughout an evening while dressed in a disguise. Groups of oddly dressed friends will piece together their disguises using whatever they have around their homes. They might change their walk, talk, shape, or size—whatever it takes to make them unrecognizable to the hosts of the homes they visit. Once the hosts guess who the mummers are, they take off their masks and stay for a party or social. Then the mummers go to another house...and another house....and another. For over 300 years, local merrymaking has flourished. Now mummering is considered one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most unique and colourful traditions. The mummer is a symbol of the Province’s fun-­loving spirit and is tied deeply to a sense of who we are."


Check out the link below - watch the video on the main page about the Mummers Festival which took place this past weekend in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Mummers Festival

Here are the Mummers we created!