Any Mummers Allowed?

A 2-part series about the tradition of Christmas mummering

Long before Santa, Bing Crosby and the Mattel Toy Company stole the occasion, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with seasonal rituals like this. Although mummers still appear annually in parts of Newfoundland, England and Ireland, this great-grand-daddy of Halloween masquerade died out in most of North America long ago. Here is the lowdown on mummers -- on both sides of the Atlantic