Morris dancing is a big feature of the National Folk Festival and, as usual, there were a number of Morris troupes performing. Danced in sets, Morris dancing dates from mediaeval times.

Like most ancient culture it is mixed in origin and the exact details are lost. Clearly, however, there are pagan/pre-Christian influences, encapsulating, as it does, the symbolism of spring and fertility rites. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, The Green Man himself frequently features as part of the troupe, although his role is typically a disruptive one. One of the interesting aspects of ancient culture is its embracing of the anarchy of natural forces as an integral part of life. Today we like to live under the illusion that we live in a controlled and manageable world and an illusion it is. Whilst we have more control over our environment that our predecessors we are still at the mercy of the natural world and our refusal to accept that make the random misfortunes of nature harder to accept.

Anyway I have drifted off the topic, which is Morris. The Molonglo Mayhem Morris site points to the term “Morris” arising from a corruption of “Moorish” dancing, a suggestion that it may have been introduced to England by the Moors in 15th century. The England of this time was a vast land not connected by high-speed motor ways. Consequently, following its introduction, Morris evolved and developed local character in the various regions that adopted it.

Molonglo Mayhem, a Canberra based Morris troupe, adopt a version from the Welsh border region which is characterised by highly coloured rags attached to their clothing, painted faces, and comical hats. This is perhaps the wildest style of Morris although the dances themselves do not differ greatly from the generic style.

By contrast, the Victorian troupe Brandragon adopt a North-West County style. Dressed in green and red they reflect a forest influence. In the left of the photo you can see a variation of the disruptive character that is typically played by The Green Man. Unlike other forms of Morris, which use raw sticks that are bashed together, usually disintegrating over the period of the festival, Brandragon use more stylised half hoops and sticks. These are decorated with forest motifs like ivy and leaves.

The more commonly recognised appearance of a Morris dancer is in white with straw boater hats adorned with garlands of flowers representing the spring and fertility themes typical of Morris. This style of dress was represented at the festival by the Victorian group, Britannia Morris Men and the Adelaide Morris Men.