by Cynthia Roemer
Weddings. What a joy. I was excited to help my oldest son and daughter-in-law plan their wedding as they prepared to take their vows three years ago. Nowadays, wedding celebrations include banquets, toasts, honeymoons, and photo shoots. But there was a time when...
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| Newlyweds (Public Domain) |
It’s almost a forgotten bit of wedding traditions–the shivaree. If you’ve never heard of one, you’re not alone. A shivaree was a raucous and fun-loving way to celebrate a newly married couple’s nuptials. It took place days, weeks, even months following the actual wedding. The element of surprise was key.
Though more prevalent in the 1800’s, my parents have told stories of shivarees that took place in their growing up years (mid-1900s). According to them, the shivaree began with a late-night wake-up call of banging pans and noise-makers. Then the group would serenade the couple with songs such as Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Afterward, the late-night visitors would join the couple for snacks and desserts, often provided by the newlyweds.
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| Roberto Nickson on upsplash |
Nineteenth-Century Shivarees
Shivarees of the nineteenth century were much bolder and at times down right ornery. I didn’t realize just how ornery until I did some research for a scene in my novel, Under Prairie Skies. Set in 1855, the scene has my main characters, Chad and Charlotte, and a host of others, traveling by the light of the moon to the unsuspecting couple’s home.
There, the bride and groom are awakened by rifle fire and banging pans. The barefoot groom is then blindfolded and spirited away in his nightshirt into the timber and left to fend for himself until daybreak. All the while, his poor, bewildered bride is wailing and calling his name. Not the best way to wish a new couple a joyous marriage! I won’t share any spoilers by telling how the scene evolves, but I will say Chad’s actions further endear him to Charlotte.
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| Will Steward on upsplash - fire in woods |
Shivaree Fears
Though I’ve not participated in or even known anyone to be shivareed, my husband attended one for his cousin when he was a boy. So, when we married, he had me more than a little nervous we would end up with his extended family outside our bedroom window some dark night banging pans and serenading us.
My fears never came to fruition, but all that first summer, I did a lot of baking and learned to be a very light sleeper!
Cynthia Roemer is an inspirational, award-winning author who enjoys planting seeds of hope into the hearts of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois. She enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the mid-1800's prairie and Civil War era. Cynthia feels blessed the Lord has fulfilled her life-long dream of being a published novelist. It's her prayer that her stories will encourage readers in their faith. She and her husband reside on their farm in central Illinois. Visit Cynthia online at: www.cynthiaroemer.comWebsite: https://cynthiaroemer.com/
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The closest I ever came to a charivari (the original word, but pronounced just like you have spelled it) was a kitchen item wedding shower given by our church for me and my husband-to-be. They took all the labels off the cans! That was an adventure in dining for a while!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting today. I have heard of this tradition but don't know of anyone who had one happen to them.
ReplyDeleteI first heard of this tradition on an episode of the Waltons. A couple who goes to the same church we go to said they were shivareed. I think they got married in 1959.
ReplyDelete