Christmas Traditions

PHILIP DALLING looks forward to another festive season made all the merrier by mummers and carolers

- Philip Dalling

IN convivial taprooms warmed by log fires and in village churches lit by flickering candlelight, the old stories and songs delight audiences old and new each Christmas and New Year.

As the festive lights cast a glow to ease the gloom of the moor’s winter evenings, the North Devon Traditional Mummers and the Exmoor Carolers come into their own.

For almost half a century the Mummers, featuring characters as diverse as St George, Beelzebub and Father Christmas, have burst into unsuspecting pubs across the area (usually only the landlord has received advanced warning), first startling and then delighting audiences with their play, based on a local script dating back to the 19th century.