What Is a Shivaree?
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Learn about the Old-Fashioned Wedding Night Custom, the Shivaree or Chivaree
Here's his poem, plus I'll get my mother's memories of her own shivaree to add and some research I did on the topic. What is a shivaree? Read on and you'll find out.
The old wedding photo is my grandparents, Cora (Joy) and Lorenzo Martin. I must ask my dad if they ever talked about being shivareed.
Vintage Wedding Couple is available as a poster by vallain
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Contents at a Glance
- Chivaree at Chelsea
- Definition of CHIVAREE from the Free Dic...
- Shivarees Are an Old Custom
- Personal Accounts of a Shivaree or Chiva...
- Check out the Blogs for Other Odd Weddin...
- Shivaree is also the name of a band
- Books about Old-Fashioned Marriage Custo...
- Shivaree as a musical term
- Read More of Monte Manka's Poems about t...
Chivaree at Chelsea
A poem by Monte Manka, written June 3, 2010
The farm boys and farm girls
Of Chelsea
Secretly were planning
A "Chivraee"
Forrest Chapman and Betty Corfman
Were the newlyweds
They were staying with his parents
Soon to be gotten out of bed
The Boys and Girls gathered at our house
To wait for the Chapman's to turn off the light
We lived a mile away
So the crowd could stay out of sight
Our spy rode back to our house
To let us know
That the Chapman house was dark
In a convoy of cars to the Chapmans we did go
We parked down at the highway
We walked quietly up Chapman's lane
We gathered in their front yard
Then all the noise began
A multitude of 12-gauge shotgun blasts
Shattered the silence of the night
There was movement inside the house
The Chapman's turned on those coal oil lights.
The newlyweds came out in their pajamas
The girls took charge of Betty C.
The guys took charge of Forrest C.
I was told to stay behind, doncha see.
The girls threw Betty into the horse-tank
Nightgown and all
With the moss, bugs, and horse slobbers
Those ornery gals were having a ball.
Horse Drinking by midnighteskye
The guys took Forrest up the road a mile
Removed his PJ's and shoes
Gave him a gunny sack for cover
So not to leave him completely nude
We were invited into the house
When the groom finally arrived
There was fudge, pies, cakes and tea
Betty was glad to see Forrest survived.
Apple Pie 1955 by Yalcrabkram
After feasting on the goodies
Much to everyone's delight
The Chivaree was over
We bade the newlyweds a "quiet" goodnight
Definition of CHIVAREE from the Free Dictionary
a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles)
to a newly married couple
Also called belling, charivari, shivaree, callathump, callithump.
Shivarees Are an Old Custom
Give Your Opinion
corey letter, dots3 by sandy48
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How would you feel about a shivaree on your wedding night
I'd join the party
BARRY says:
sounds like great fun too bad it still isn't practiced.
Margo_Arrowsmith says:
I had one
prosperity66 says:
Shivaree, or, in French, charivari, is a very old custom that dates back from the Middle Ages and was very popular among our populations in that times. However, it tends to disappear, as anything that would link people to their neighbourhood do.
So, I'd join the party, of course! It's fun to do and lets us know that we're appreciated by our peers.
Tipi says:
The trick is to plan ahead for the shivaree and just don't shut off all the lights until you're ready for company!
I'd do anything to get out of it
gottaloveit says:
Well, now, if it was my ex-husband, I'd hope they'd take him far far away. If it was my present love, I wouldn't be too happy.
Jewelsofawe says:
I would not want one!
_Joan_ says:
My husband would have gone ballistic!
NanLT says:
Our wedding reception was held at my mother-in-law's home where we were living at the time. I think this would have been a bit much for them.
Personal Accounts of a Shivaree or Chivaree
- Unusual Historicals: Good Times: Shivaree
- This blogger traces the shivaree back to an old French custom called a charivari.
- Early Years of Married Life
- EARLY YEARS OF MARRIED LIFE - On January 3, 1924, 1 became the wife of John Carlos Bailey. That was a cold day too and my husband says he almost froze the day before, coming so far on horseback. While I have mentioned horseback, I must tell my readers the story he tells folks.
- Chivaree | The Hill Weblog
- Observations of life past and present from Terrapin Hill
Enjoy the Simple Things - Chivaree Revisited | The Hill Weblog
- The Hill Weblog
Observations of life past and present from Terrapin Hill
This posting is a follow-up to the one above. It tells of a modern-day chivaree. - Chivaree - rootsweb
- Some things never change. The writer tells about the custom of holding a chivaree.
“Soon after this Chivaree, I don't remember another. They have died out. (Monte Manka 2011)”
Check out the Blogs for Other Odd Wedding Customs
- The Bacchae/Blood Wedding – review
- A line such as "I was a woman caressed by fire," sounds odd when delivered in a hospital's A&E ante-room. But, even if the production loses some of Lorca's ritualistic intensity, it is vibrantly acted and leaves one eager to see how Ibsen will fit into ...
- Now, a lip dub marriage proposal
- Every guy wants his wedding proposal to be different ? but this one seems to be the best so far! Fairy tale weddings begin with fairy tale proposals. And in today's world, that would mean a flash mob! Isaac Lamb, a 31-year-old Portland-based actor, ...
- Brides take centre stage
- EXPECTANT brides, past princesses and future wives with an appetite for diamonds celebrated all things wedding at the PCYC Fraser Coast Bridal Expo yesterday. There was glitz, glamour, not to mention the odd groom being dragged by the scruff of his ...
- Centennial wedding rehearsal lights up sky, phone lines with UFO talk
- "Originally, I thought that something odd was going on," said Danielle Arno of Centennial. "There were so many of them. It was probably the most incredible thing I've ever seen." Arno was one of hundreds of people who saw the lights cross the sky in ...
Shivaree is also the name of a band
It formed in 1999 and is an American alternative pop/rock band (according to Wikipedia).
Books about Old-Fashioned Marriage Customs
Shivaree as a musical term
Shivaree was used for a performance of rough music, an English folk tradition, in the United States (from Webster's Online)
Read More of Monte Manka's Poems about the Good Old Days
Did you know about shivarees?
Bride and Groom by BlueMoonofKentucky
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gottaloveit
Jun 7, 2011 @ 5:07 pm | delete
- Never heard of the things. I suppose there weren't a whole lot of kids conceived on the honeymoon night!
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Sue Ellen
Apr 29, 2011 @ 1:34 pm | delete
- We had lots of Shivarees around Whitewater, Furley and Annelly Kansas when I was young. We enjoyed them as the Bride and Groom gave us treats after we woke them up with the noise of car horns, pots and pans. One I recall in town was a little different. The groom had to push his bride down main street in a wheelbarrow. Think she even cooked pancakes for the guests.
Later on some of the Shivaree events got sort of out of hand with tricks in the home, like flour sprinkled about, short sheeting the bed, taking labels off the food cans, etc.
I never went to any after we moved from the area.
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Margo_Arrowsmith
Apr 26, 2011 @ 12:54 pm | delete
- I got married in Iowa where I grew up. My husband was from New Jersey. So at the wedding my brother planned one with my friends. They followed us to a motel about 60 miles away where we stopped. lol My husband is very uptight, lacks grace and humor with no ability to roll with the punches. Needless to say, he wasn't amused. But we invited them in and had an nice little party
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Jolene_Belmain
Apr 26, 2011 @ 11:19 am | delete
- I have to admit that this is a term that I had never heard of before. Well done. I love your images.
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prosperity66 Feb 24, 2011 @ 4:00 am | delete
- I was happy to discover this page about shivaree as it's one of those customs that tends do disappear and make the world go more and more individual.
Blessed by a passing angel on Squidoo.
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MamaRuth
Feb 24, 2011 @ 2:48 am | delete
- I have read several books where shivarees are mentioned. I always thought it sounded like a terrible idea! Maybe the custom some follow of tying cans, etc. to the back of the newleyweds' car after the ceremony is a remnant of the shivaree.
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ohcaroline
Feb 23, 2011 @ 10:33 pm | delete
- I remember the segment on the Waltons about the shivaree. Very funny episode...although I wouldn't want that done to me.
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Tipi
Feb 23, 2011 @ 10:41 am | delete
- I remember participating in a shivaree when I was young, it was probably towards the end of time when they were common and it was in place of a reception or wedding ceremony. They went to the court house and the relatives decided they needed a little celebration. I wondered about banging on pans but it was fun! This proves a wedding can be very economical, at least in the old days!
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Jewelsofawe Feb 12, 2011 @ 10:37 pm | delete
- I enjoyed this lens and the poem is cool! I think it fits the poetry category. I myself would not want a shivaree! Blessing this lens and putting it on my poetry review lens!
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LizMac60 Dec 15, 2010 @ 5:18 am | delete
- Great lens about a quaint custom. Sounds a bit like a stag night which happens to the groom, the night before a wedding. Blessed by a squid angel and featured on Me?!! A Squid Angel
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vallain Aug 22, 2010 @ 6:00 pm | delete
- Monte Manka sent me a message on Facebook, saying "Soon after this Chivaree, I don't remember another. They have died out. When I think about it--I'm kinda glad--would sure wreck a wedding night, doncha think? "
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NanLT
Aug 22, 2010 @ 12:46 pm | delete
- Thank goodness this isn't a custom here. Nor in any parts I grew up in America. We'd have gotten "a look" from my mother-in-law. Anyone who has seen one, knows "the look".
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- Actually Nan, the memories of my mom and of Monte are in the El Dorado and Eureka areas of Kansas. Maybe you're just not old enough to have heard of these.
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I'm Virginia Allain, a retired librarian. Now I devote myself to writing, photography and designing books to self-publish. Having fun!
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