Thursday, December 3, 2009

Mummering Memories: Show and Share Your Mummering Experiences


Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: The Rooms

This year, as part of the Folklife Festival of Newfoundland and Labrador, we are focussing on Christmas mummering and related traditions. In addition to the public workshops, lectures and the final Mummers Parade on December 20th (http://www.mummersfestival.ca), we have been collecting information on Christmas traditions as part of our ongoing partnership with the Digital Archives Initiative (DAI).

The DAI is a gateway to the learning and research-based cultural resources held by Memorial University and partnering organizations. From books and maps to photographs, periodicals, video and audio, the DAI hosts a variety of collections which together reinforce the importance, past and present, of Newfoundland and Labrador's history and culture.

Intangible Cultural Heritage depends on its basis in communities, and on the continuing activities of those with specific knowledge of traditions, skills and customs within these communities. Regarding the participation of communities and groups, Article 15 of the International Convention on Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003) states:

“Within the framework of its safeguarding activities of the intangible cultural heritage, each State Party shall endeavour to ensure the widest possible participation of communities, groups and, where appropriate, individuals that create, maintain and transmit such heritage, and to involve them actively in its management.”

In light of this, we are interested in viewing, hearing, and documenting all aspects of our mummering traditions, and documenting those traditions on the DAI. Whether you’re a mummer, a janney, a nalujuk, a wren boy, or a wren girl, if you have a story, artifact, or photograph to share or are just curious about mummering, we’d love to meet you.

This Sunday, December 6th, from 2-4pm, you’re invited to contribute a digital copy of your mummer materials to the Digital Archives Initiative as a record of our province’s Christmastime house-visiting tradition. We will have digital scanners for photos and a video booth to record mummer experiences. We are looking for YOUR memories of Christmases past and present, to be recorded and shared with future generations.

For more information, meet us at The Rooms this Sunday, or call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 ext 2.

Presented in collaboration with The Rooms as part of the First Annual Folklife Festival of Newfoundland & Labrador

No comments: