Morris dancing is an English tradition stretching back for centuries, to when peasant life was unrecognisable compared to today. In a handful of places, the Morris tradition can even be traced back unbroken to before the English Civil War. In most places, the Morris tradition faded around the time of the Industrial Revolution, but around the start of the twentieth century, a revival began. Now, there are active Morris groups in areas right across England, and even in other parts of the world where English expatriates are found.
The origins of Morris dancing are, not surprisingly, difficult to ascertain. The one piece of evidence that we have is the evidence of similar dances in other countries throughout mainland Europe, all with names that appear to come from the same root. It definitely seems as though all of these folk dance traditions came from the Moorish tradition. "Morris dance" seems to be a version of "Moorish dance". Dances which are still seen today in Europe, which were first danced as a celebration of the Moors being forced out of Spain, have a definite similarity to Morris dancing.
Morris dancing was an integral part of spring celebration in England for many years before the English Civil War. When Cromwell overcame the monarchy, many of the traditional festivities were suppressed. As soon as a monarch was back on the throne, the traditional festivities were reinstated. From this time on, Morris dancing remained an integral part of English life, until the industrial revolution brought massive changes to so much of English life. It was not until the very end of the nineteenth century that attempts were made to revive the Morris dance.
During the early part of the 20th Century Morris revival, progress was slow. It was not until 1934 that the Morris Ring was formed. Since then, other organizations have sprung up to compete with the Morris Ring, mainly because the Morris Ring does not accept women's or mixed Morris teams. These Morris organizations are playing a huge part in once again establishing Morris dancing as an integral part of the English spring and summer.
Morris dancing remains alive and well in many parts of England today, and can be seen at many of the traditional village fetes in the spring and summer. Different parts of England have a different type of dancing, and each region has its own unique variation within those types. One of the most common of these is Cotswold Morris, which you can see in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and the surrounding areas. The Border Morris tradition of the counties near the England-Wales border is somewhat similar, but the steps are easier to learn, and the dances are performed with blackened faces. The traditions in the North of the country are very different, and are basically clog dances.