SCOTLAND
MYTHS, TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
MARRIAGE
Many of Scotland's customs have slowly died out
over the centuries but some have survived.
Here is a small example of the customs practised in Scotland.
Some of the customs are slightly different depending on area
I have taken a selection from all over rather then one area
Finding a Partner
With restricted travel and ways to communicate, it was not so easy to find a suitor.
Even so it was popular to try to find out the identity of the future spouse.
One popular ritual practised by men and women was three bowls.
This was used to predict what their married life would be like.
Three wooden bowls one containing clean water, one with dirty water,
and the last on empty. The would-be partner was blindfolded and taken to the bowls.
They would then pick one. If the bowl the picked had clean water,
the marriage would be good and honourable. If they picked the dirty water,
it would be dishonourable. If they picked the empty bowl, they would never marry.
To ensure a fair result it was done "best of three"
and the same bowl had to be picked twice for it to count.
Apples where a popular divining medium for predicting a future spouse.
one way to do this was to sit alone at midnight,
in front of a mirror with an apple cut into pieces.
Every piece of the apple was eaten except the last piece,
this was then thrown over the left shoulder.
On turning the head to the left an image of their future partner should appear in the mirror.
Betrothal
When the partner had been met and courted the next step was betrothal.
Timing
timing was consideration and setting a date was also important
The most popular month for weddings in Scotland was June and May was the least popular
"Marry in May and rue for aye."
The day was also important as this rhyme shows
Monday for Wealth
Tuesday for Health
Wednesday for no luck at all
Thursday for losses
Friday for Crosses
Saturday best day of all.
The giving and receiving of rings is recent idea.
But an older tradition still done today is the setting up
of a "bottom draw" by the bride-to-be also known in Scotland as a
"wedding kist" (chest) it would contain linen for the bed and table etc.
This would be taken to the new home just before the wedding so the new wife
had everything she needed for her new duties as a wife waiting for her.
Pre-wedding Celebrations
Show of Presents
This was mainly a female affair and was where the bride-to-be displayed
all the couples presents in the bride's home, it was a way for the bride to show her gratitude.
After the presents where admired a small celebration would take place.
This would be tea home-baking and chit-chat.
Girls Night
The tradition of the girls night has changed alot in recent years.
The traditional girl night would see the bride-to-be dressed in crepe paper and sheets
by her friends. They would then hand her a chamber pot or babies potty full of salt,
(this was symbolic of her future prosperity and fertility) and she had to jump over this three times.
Then her friends would escort her through the streets.
Any man the party came across had to kiss the bride for good luck
and put a gift of a coin into her pot.
This custom has been taken over by the hen night of today.
The name hen night comes from the older custom of the women involved in the
wedding celebrations meeting at the house of the bride to pluck chickens for the wedding feast.
Men's Night
Not just a scottish tradition it was normally held on the groom's last night as a single man.
This was changed to a few days before to allow the groom to recover.
Local variations on the humiliation theme include Stonehaven, the groom would be "tarred and feathered."
While in Kingussie. he was blacken with soot boot polish
anything that was dark and made a mess.
Feet Washing
Feet washing was a symbol of the couples fresh start of life together.
It was done to both bride and groom normally the eve of the wedding
The Wedding
Traditionally weddings were more a community event rather the just family.
The penny wedding was a popular do-it-yourself celebration where every guest would contribute money.
This was used for food, drink and music and any money left over
was given to the bride and groom, a help to the start of their new life together.
Bad Omens
Many superstitions surround the wedding and some of the ill omens were
a dog howling nearby and soot falling down the chimney.
A very bad omen was to see a funeral procession on the way to or from the wedding,
it was supposed to symbolize the death of the bride or groom.
If the funeral procession was for a women then the ill omen was on the bride,
if it was a man then the ill omen fell on the groom
The Wedding Dress
The white wedding dress was introduced by Queen Victoria and is now tradition all over.
Before that it was customary in Scotland for the bride to wear a new dress,
this had to be made for her by someone else it was considered to be bad luck for the bride to make her own dress.
Any colour was acceptable except black and navy, mourning colours.
Green was also avoided so as not to attract attention from fairies.
A custom that is still practised and is largely unchanged
is something old, something new, something borrowed,
something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Handfasting
Handfasting was an old tradition practised in many parts of Scotland
Handfasting was like a trial marriage, the ceremony was often performed at the annual fair.
It involved the couple joining hands and pledging to live together for a year and a day.
When the time was up they could chose to marry at the next fair
or part at the end of the time, no stigma was attached to either of them
or any children born during the time together if they chose to part.
Due to modern law Handfasting and other irregular marriages was outlaw in 1939
For some lovely web graphics visit Eos just click the link above
for some lovely Celtic designs visit Aon just click the link above
