...Research into marriage and courtship customs of an ancestor's ethnic
background, location, and era, can provide interesting background
information. Was there a charivari (shivaree) where neighbors
serenaded the couple by banging loudly on pot and pans? ...
Glory be, this is the first time I can remember seeing that word
CHARIVARI spelled out properly. For years I have been spelling
it phonetically and, of course, could never find it in the cheaper
Dictionaries. Now that I know how to spell it properly, I finally found
the word in a 1933 Edition of an "Oxford Universal Dictionary" and
I sure will add a page to my usual desktop reference.
The word is further defined as: "A serenade of rough music, made
with kettles, pans, tea-trays, etc., used in France, in derision of
incongruous marriages, etc; hence a babel of noise."
How well I remember participating in small town "shivaree's" as a
youngster back in the 1940's. I sure thought it was a real hoot. Does
anyone else remember such events? Or has anyone had trouble
spelling that darned word?
Barbara Jean
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