Where Did It Start?

IMAGINE my surprise when I heard the strange sound of tinkling bells, a violin, and people dancing outside an ancient inn in the Cotswold village of Broadway, England. As I drew closer, I saw groups of dancing men dressed in white, wearing straw hats bedecked with flowers and ribbons, with little bells tinkling harmoniously from their shins. They were Morris dancers. I was watching a custom that goes back hundreds of years. Intrigued, I decided to find out more about this strange all-male dancing.

One source says the name Morris comes from the Spanish morisco, meaning “Moorish.” Some believe it was developed from the morisco dance, or Spanish fandango. Although in England it goes back at least to the time of Henry VII (1457-1509), it became popular in village festivities during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47). Similar dances are common in other parts of Europe, the Middle East, India, and areas of Central and South America. But what do the Morris dances represent?

The New Encyclopædia Britannica explains that a common feature of many of them is a group of dancing men “attendant on a pagan god who celebrates his revival after death. Often the dancers wear white clothes and dance with bells fastened to the legs or body. A feeling that the dances have magic power or bring luck persists wherever they are traditionally performed.”

A variation of the Morris dance is the horn dance held annually at Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, England. The same encyclopedia explains: “This dance-procession includes six animal-men bearing deer antlers . . . a man-woman, or Maid Marian, and a fool, both carrying phallic symbols.”

Although for many Morris dancing may seem to be an innocent pastime, it is wise for conscientious Christians to be aware of its origin.​—Awake! staff writer.