Mummer's Day, or "Darkie Day" as it is sometimes known (a corruption of the original Darking Day), is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in Padstow, Cornwall. It was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated throughout Cornwall where people would take part in the traditional custom of guise dancing, which involves disguising themselves by painting their faces black or wearing masks.
The dark face paint, masks and dark clothing are symbols of the celebration of the winter solstice, and is in contrast to the "white" summer solstice festivals of Cornish towns such as the 'Obby 'Oss festival in Padstow and Golowan in Penzance. The Montol Festival in Penzance is a similar winter solstice celebration, during which people guise dance with darkly painted skin or masks to disguise themselves.
There has been controversy in the British media regarding Mummer's Day, due to the blackened faces and the term Darkie Day, with commentators misinterpreting the festival as racist. The name Darkie Day is actually a corruption of the original Darking Day, which refers to the "darking" (darkening) of the faces. Both the face painting and the term Darkie have no connection to black people as a group.
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