Blacking up in the Morris: Q and A.

Q: Is blacking-up in the tradition?
A: Yes... in some bits of it, in some parts of the country.

Q: Do those bits of the tradition go back to ancient immemorial folk customs the like of which we modern town-dwellers wot but little of?
A: No.

Q: Just No?
A: Well... disguise is a big thing all over the place. But disguise in the specific form of painting one's face black, not so much.

Q: Meaning?
A: Meaning it might be a relatively recent addition.

Q: Right. And have different elements been added to traditional practices in relatively recent times, or indeed taken away?
A: Yes, it goes on all the time. Living tradition and all that.

Q: So if those sides which currently black up were to agree to use (say) purple or dark blue face-paint (or beekeepers' veils), this would be quite in keeping with the Morris as a living tradition, and would not be any sort of break with the older folk traditions of 'guising' which blacking-up seems to echo?
A: Is that a question?