TRADITIONAL HUMOROUS CHARACTERS

Traditional Latvian humorous characters: the mummers

Mumming/Mummer parades : who, when and what? ● The mumming is a form of folk entertainment in which groups of masked and costumed merrymakers roam the streets singing, dancing, acting out stories; ● The mumming in Latvia lasts from autumn till the end of winter, February. ● The mummers can arrive in your home in the summer time: special events, wedding e.c.

Masks, disguise and mummer parades

Development of the masks and the mumming in Latvia ● In past centuries people throughout EUROPE celebrated the CHRISTMAS SEASON by mumming or by hosting bands of mummers in their homes. ● Latvian mumming traditions are one of the European dialects: European impact on the Latvian culture; ● The dawn of the Latvian drama: masks, disguise and mummer parades.

Sense of the disguise and the mumming: why? ● Dawn: desire of the human being to play, copy and mimic; ● Delight and joy about the vital and life atmosphere in the house and court;

Sense of the disguise and the mumming ● Led by a "father" or a “mother”, the mummers travel from homestead to homestead or from village to village. The mummers bring a home blessing, encourage fertility, and frighten away any evil spirits. ● It's necessary to host the mummers friendly and entertain with something. ● They play different sounding instruments: accordions, violins e.c.

Sense of the disguise and the mumming

Sense of the mumming ● The mumming in other events: at the wedding, funeral, at the combined work and at other different festivals or holidays. ● The meeting of young people; ● Playing jokes and amusing.

Masks, disguise and traditional characters at the mumming parade ● Both young and old people take part in the mumming; ● Homemade, very often simple costumes; ● Disguise of the head and the face; ● The most common part of the costumes is headscarfs.

Traditional characters ● The most common traditional masks are: – People: tall women, small men, fortune-tellers and others; – Animals: bears, horses, cranes, wolfs, goats and others; – Preternatural creatures: death, ghosts and others.

Disguise of the head and the face

Traditional characters: goat, fortune teller and others

Traditional characters: a tall woman

Traditional characters:crane

Activities in the mummers' parades ● Singing and dancing, playing various sounding instruments, even taken from the kitchen (pans, pots e.c.); ● Song texts: about host woman, young ladies, their outlook, describing bad and good characteristics, about the harvest on the farm in the next year e.c.; ● Playing the rolle according to the disguise mask: copying animals, making voices different and foreign; ● Eating and drinking, enjoying time.

Disguise nowdays ● Popular between the youth; ● Popular between the children; ● Characteristics.

Thank you for your attention!