Myths and Legends What we do (and don’t) know about the art of Morris!
 
What is Morris?
The best definition of the Morris Tradition is given by the Adelaide Morris Men on their website:
“The definitions of Morris are many and varied as is it’s history. It is English, it is a dance form often married with local ceremonies which may explain to some extent it’s longevity.  But for all the variations on a theme there is no mistaking a Morris team when one sees one.  Whether it is Cotswold Morris with the usual bells, hankies and sticks, North West Morris with clogs Garlands and ‘twiddlers’, Rapper and Long Sword or Border Morris it is all unmistakably Morris and Unmistakably English.
It is energetic,  it is vibrant, it is public,  and it is fun.  It is an excuse to dance and enjoy music and song with friends, even those you have just met, more often than not over a pint (or in our case over a cup of tea and piece of cake!).
It’s a way of meeting people.  It’s a way of life.  It’s a pastime you fit into a busy schedule.”
 
(www.adelaidemorrismen.com)
 
 
When did it all start? No one can be absolutely sure about the origins of the tradition of Morris Dancing. Myth would maintain that it was a strange Pagan fertility ritual practiced by the Heathen Masses in Briton before Christianity saved us all !! However there is not really any evidence to support this theory except the fact that people celebrated special occasions with ritual dancing . The first written record of Morris Dancing appears in 1448. What ever the origins of the Morris Traditions it seems quite clear that by the 16th century Morris dancing had become part of established feast days and festivals. In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, Act II scene iv: The Dauphin urges France to make war nonchalantly: DAUPHIN: And let us do it with no show of fear; No, with no more than if we heard that England Were busied with a Whitsun morris-dance
Why ‘Morris’ Dancing?
The most widely believed explanation is that the term evolved from Moorish Dancing, or Morisco Dancing.  But again there is little evidence from the time of the records to link the dances. It is likely the connection was made much later when the victorians started to write old traditions down.  They were obsessed with giving heritage to our customs.  As dancers often blacked their faces and danced wearing bells it seemed that the connection with North Africa made sense, and thus it has passed into legend.
 
Why ‘Tatters’?
Originally Helston Tatters, the Helston part was dropped when we discovered that this meant we could only be pubilcised in the local Helston news. As we cover most of West Cornwall, we rebranded ourselves as Tatters.
Border Morris Dancers traditionally wear ragged jackets or shirts, covered in strips of cut or torn material. Perhaps part of the disguise, now they just look good when we dance.