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Sunday 13 March 2011

Carnival - Sunday Stamps



Morris Dancing is a traditional English form of folk dancing. It has been practiced for hundreds of years. The dances are usually performed at festivals such as May Day, Whitsun and Christmas.


The name may refer to the possibility of the form of dancing coming to England from the Moors of North Africa; or it may have been called 'Moor-ish' simply because the dancers sometimes painted their faces black.
The lively dancing is accompanied by an accordion player, a melodeon or fiddle player or a noisy band with a drum; also the dancers wear different clothes depending on the part of the country - often dressed in white with coloured baldrics (coloured belts) across their chests. Six or eight dancers are arranged in two lines or in a circle facing each other. The dancers may carry white handkerchiefs that they shake, or short sticks that they bang against each other as they dance. Some dancers have bell-pads tied at their knees, which make a loud and cheerful rhythm as they dance.


I wonder whether this Carnival stamp was posted on a cruise liner, otherwise I have nothing to add.

I expected to find some stamps from Brazil, but didn't have any relating to the theme. I chose Mexico instead.


Apparently in the Oaxaca Valley each village performs the Dance of the Feather (Danza de la Pluma) on their own Saint's Day.

More carnival stamps at Viridian's Sunday Stamps 10

9 comments:

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

I heard there was to be a Morris Dance festival not far from here. I would have gone if I could have found more details because I find it fascinating as well as fun.

Oaxaca is an amazing place, as is all Mexico, but somehow Oaxaca seemed to have stayed out of the race for modernisation.

La Crona said...

Interesting post about stamps.They should be worth a lot as old.

Joy said...

You have certainly covered all the traditions in stamps Bob. They have regular morris dances here, usually outside pubs,it may be the beer afterwards that's the attraction.

viridian said...

Here is America I've only seen Morris dancers once. It was a fascinating performance.

21 Wits said...

Oh my lovely stamps again Bob. Great information and video, and it's so interesting you bring up May Day! I'll have to check around and see what other countries celebrate that tradition that has sadly left most of America. My children never really learned about it in school either...it used to be such a grand thing to make May Baskets too (to give away) and May poles were everywhere...now it's less and less. We seem to slip away from all the special togetherness moments in life....not that I don't like using my cell phone, I do, but not to the extent that I sit texting or talking while I among others....but when you look around everywhere you go people are stepping away from face to face communication in restuarants, movie lines, grocery stores, driving down the road, football games, church even heads down texting going on here! Hooray Bob for bringing to mind a cool dance and May Day!

Postcardy said...

I have seen folk dances in Oaxaca but not in England.

Ann said...

Very interesting. I love all the history you shared. The stamps are really colorful.
Ann

Christine H. said...

I am an English tutor for a young man from Oaxaca. His stories and descriptions make we want to visit there.

Jinksy said...

Blogger hears every comment you make! Hehehe! "Andismen", indeed! LOL