Part One: Mummers & Murder
Newfoundland has a lot of interesting traditions but few are as celebrated as mummering.
Mummering is a Christmas tradition that dates back hundreds of years. It came to Newfoundland from England and Ireland with the first settlers. In it’s best known form, it involves costumed people visiting house-to-house during the 12 days of Christmas. Once invited inside, the host tries to guess the mummer's identity. Refreshments are served and fun is had by all.
This sort of mummering is entertainment, but it wasn’t always fun for everyone. For some people, especially children, mummers were scary. They looked odd and behaved strangely. Mostly, the fear was unwaranted.
In the 1800s mummering was altogether different. Mummers used to celebrate outdoors and could be found roaming the streets. There are many instances of mummers taking advantage of their anonymity to settle scores.
In one instance, there was a murder.
In the 1800s mummering was altogether different. Mummers used to celebrate outdoors and could be found roaming the streets. There are many instances of mummers taking advantage of their anonymity to settle scores.
In one instance, there was a murder.
Read: Mummers, Murder and Mayhem.
Part Two: Twas The Night After Christmas
In this segment we take a look at the lighter side of mummering with the Newfoundland Mummer Story Twas The Night After Christmas.
It tells the story of a grandmother who is *usually* very good at guessing the identity of mummers until one fateful Boxing Day night when she meets her match.
Read the Twas The Night After Christmas
Part Three: A Chat With Carolina East
Carolina East has made a name for herself across the country, not only as as an impressive singer but as talented songwriter. She’s making music inspired by an eclectic tapestry of influences; from soul, to country, to pop.
She competed in the Sirius XM Top of the Country competition as one of eight semi-finalists. In July 2021, Carolina released a full-length album Soaked in Whisky. It’s a polished collection of songs about love, happiness, and loss.
Her songs are honest, vulnerable, and. always relatable.
Carolina joined me to talk about making music, her Christmas album Home for the Holidays, and how covering Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ changed her life.
We also talked about her upcoming work with producer Russell Broom (well known for his work with Jann Arden).
Message Carolina to get your copy of her Christmas album Home For The Holidays.
Part Four: Monstrous Things
The season, I’ve been capping off each episode with a segment I call Monstrous Things. It features tales of a Newfoundland sea monster sightings reported in the mainstream media.
This episode offers the story of a ‘monster’ seen in the Codroy Valley area around Christmas, 1951. The sighting was described in the January 5th, 1952 edition of the Evening Telegram under the headline “Report Monster Destroying Nets.”
What do you think it was?
Visit: productofnewfoundland.ca
Episode Guide for Credits, Further Reading and Links: