About Morris Dancing Generally

The original reasons for Morris dancing are obscured by the mists of history. It is thought to be the remnant of pre-Christian rituals, which may have been used to promote the cycle of the seasons and to celebrate their timely return. In more recent times Morris men have been regarded as the bringers of luck; entertaining their communities and in return being sponsored with refreshment.

Disguised or costumed seasonal ritual performers in the tradition of Morris Dancing come in a variety of forms. In Tyneside, dancers use flexible 'rappers' (metal stips with handles at both ends, designed for scraping off coal dust and dirt), in Yorkshire dancers use stiff long swords. Both of these types of dance were traditionaly celebrated around Christmas and Plough Monday. In Lancashire and Cheshire, the spectacular Clog Morris has been associated with rush carting around August time. Border Morris where the participants black their faces (from the BOARDERS of Wales) have not been so well documented and so less information survives about these traditions. One tradition closely associated with morris are the 'Mummers plays'. These plays can be very localised but the tradition is widely distributed over the country. The plays include Plough Plays from the East Midlands performed on Plough Monday and the Pace Egg Plays from the Northwest performed near Easter. To most people, particularly in the southern half of England, Morris is associated with Cotswold Morris originally performed in and around the Oxfordshire region. These styles of morris are characterised by predominantly white clothing, the waving of white handkerchiefs or the clashing of sticks and the small groups of bells tied to the shins of the dancers. The Cotswold Morris includes some of the most elaborate and complex dance sequences, this tradition seems to have reached a higher degree of artistic development than any of the other tradition or ritual dances.