I'm told that the colors worn by this group represent ravens. In many old cultures, ravens were protectors and guided the spirits of the dead to the spirit world. Well done, ladies and gents.
It could be also in 17th/18th century poor people would black their faces when begging to avoid being recognised. Indeed if Beltane were in the 18th century they would be arrested for being dressed the way they are.....
The earliest accounts so far are 15th century for the hiring of morris dancers , but they obviously didn't just suddenly appear for that occasion. The name Morris is almost certainly from Moriscoe the name given the people of North Africa, but also the name Blackamoor and the history suggests they appeared during the time of the Barbary raids on England that had occurred a century or so earlier after the Islamic expansion into North Africa and Southern Spain and the failed Crusades . The Barbary pirates would raid from there into the British Isles and as far north as Iceland taking slaves for the markets on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa . White women were particularly prized for the hareems and fetched the highest prices . The males of their offspring formed the Jannisaries , the elite fighting force .The pirates even had a base on Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel to raid from . The prisoners included nobility who were ransomed and returned to Britain , as we're valuable crewman also taken captive while at sea . There is undoubtedly a similarity between dance and costume of the Ottoman dancers and our own and it is highly likely that all aspects of their dancing was brought back from North Africa including the black face to commemorate their horrific experiences as enslaved people in a strange land . This also explains the curved swords and long sticks once used in Morris . The Spanish go much further with their Christian and Moors festivals around this time ( Mid September) when the Spanish celebrate the Reconquest . What many don't understand is that the word ' black ' spelt black , blaec , blake in Old English is one of these odd words like ' cleave ' which had opposite meanings . As cleave means 'to press together ' and ' to split apart ' , so black also means ' dark , dull AND ' pale , bright , shining ' . The use of the term black to describe an individual in early writings has confused many modern would be historians to the point that black activists believe that notable historic figures with the surname Blake were black , and that countless prisoners in lists of deportees to the Caribbean etc ., being described as " black ' were actually black and not ' pale ' . Black ' black ' was generally referred to as 'sable , sabel ' , which crops up in books on dyeing materials , or in courtly circles ' noir '. This was one of the worst aspects of wading through late medieval/early modern documents in the British Library, PRO etc. My guess is that in Morice , Morris , Molly... commemorating these times ,as with the old Spanish festivals is that the 2 sides in a typical Morris dance ' side ' wore both black and white face .
Sublime
Love watching this....
You're not the only one...... It's why I posted
I'm told that the colors worn by this group represent ravens. In many old cultures, ravens were protectors and guided the spirits of the dead to the spirit world. Well done, ladies and gents.
Thank you for posting, we love these great performances 🙏
Thank you for your kind words...there'll be more postings in the spring.....
If you are going to Morris dance, this is how to Morris dance in my humble opinion!
I heard that the blackface is an echo of the Moorish influence, but I don't know how true that is. Does anybody know?
It could be also in 17th/18th century poor people would black their faces when begging to avoid being recognised. Indeed if Beltane were in the 18th century they would be arrested for being dressed the way they are.....
I doubt it but some woke twat stopped them blacking up because it's "racist." I think some use a dark blue instead.
The earliest accounts so far are 15th century for the hiring of morris dancers , but they obviously didn't just suddenly appear for that occasion. The name Morris is almost certainly from Moriscoe the name given the people of North Africa, but also the name Blackamoor and the history suggests they appeared during the time of the Barbary raids on England that had occurred a century or so earlier after the Islamic expansion into North Africa and Southern Spain and the failed Crusades . The Barbary pirates would raid from there into the British Isles and as far north as Iceland taking slaves for the markets on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa . White women were particularly prized for the hareems and fetched the highest prices . The males of their offspring formed the Jannisaries , the elite fighting force .The pirates even had a base on Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel to raid from . The prisoners included nobility who were ransomed and returned to Britain , as we're valuable crewman also taken captive while at sea . There is undoubtedly a similarity between dance and costume of the Ottoman dancers and our own and it is highly likely that all aspects of their dancing was brought back from North Africa including the black face to commemorate their horrific experiences as enslaved people in a strange land . This also explains the curved swords and long sticks once used in Morris . The Spanish go much further with their Christian and Moors festivals around this time ( Mid September) when the Spanish celebrate the Reconquest .
What many don't understand is that the word ' black ' spelt black , blaec , blake in Old English is one of these odd words like ' cleave ' which had opposite meanings . As cleave means 'to press together ' and ' to split apart ' , so black also means ' dark , dull AND ' pale , bright , shining ' . The use of the term black to describe an individual in early writings has confused many modern would be historians to the point that black activists believe that notable historic figures with the surname Blake were black , and that countless prisoners in lists of deportees to the Caribbean etc ., being described as " black ' were actually black and not ' pale ' . Black ' black ' was generally referred to as 'sable , sabel ' , which crops up in books on dyeing materials , or in courtly circles ' noir '. This was one of the worst aspects of wading through late medieval/early modern documents in the British Library, PRO etc.
My guess is that in Morice , Morris , Molly... commemorating these times ,as with the old Spanish festivals is that the 2 sides in a typical Morris dance ' side ' wore both black and white face .
Thanks George, an interesting read.
ギヨーム・ド・マショーの有名な曲ですよね？
th-cam.com/video/9ti59NdbG1c/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zBANO9JLcbTaImSD