Please don't get on at me! It is not personal. It's what is happening. I only posted this thread beacuse I thought that it would be of interest to those who dance in molly or border teams and mummers. The people of Padstow don't sing about n*****s or try to impersonate stereotypes of people from black or other ethnic minorities. It is about guising. If you go to Looe, Cawsand, Kingsand, Polperro , St Ives, Madron and a whole host of other places you will find the same guising tradition. They may not all cover their faces but dress in 'fancy dress' so they are disguised. (I went as a fairy once and someone bent my wand!!). Thanks Azizi for the detail on colour symbolism, I happen to know a fair bit about the tradition, but the point I was making was that putting on a disguise of whatever kind is inherent in cultures around the world. Yes, some masks take on the animal themselves but that is not what I was saying. Some masks are just to cover the face, to disguise. Also darkie comes from the dark days, the mid winter time when we go out to summon up the sun, it is nothing to do with the colour of peoples skin.

The whole point of this is the question.. is this the end of all black faced morris and molly and mummers? If it is, then, by the same argument, is it the end of any tradition where colour is put on the face to disguise in any country?