Village keeping mum about mummers

THE Aldworth Mummers are back at the village's CAMRA award-winning pub on Saturday (December 16) – for the 47th year.

The roving players, who by tradition remain anonymous, will perform outside The Bell at 7pm.

Mummers’ plays, traditionally performed in villages around the midwinter solstice, are based loosely on the legend of St George and the dragon and show the struggle between good and evil, death and rebirth.

Cheered on by the pub customers, with a good dose of heckling, at Aldworth a number of characters take centre stage in a folk drama. Two engage in bloody swordplay – one a Turkish knight, the other King George.

The loser is revived in a comedic ‘miracle’ by a Quack doctor in a symbolic act of reawakening the earth from the death of winter.

The players, in various guises, have performed regularly since 1976, at numerous local hostelries.

The mummers identities are a strict secret, although word is that among the current line-up, some actors may come from Aldworth itself. And there have been some secret meetings behind closed doors in the Bell taproom. Maintaining the anonymity of the players is key, as villagers thought it bad luck if they could identify a performer.

Some believe the mumming tradition dates back to pagan times, others say it is medieval. It is now thought that the type of play popular today dates from after the mid-18th century.

Although the term mummers has been in use since the Middle Ages, no scripts survive from then and it may have been a term for various types of strolling players.

• Prior to the mummers performance, at 4.30pm villagers will gather around the well for Carols @ The Bell at St Mary's Church to sing some classic carols and enjoy refreshments together. Everyone is welcome.