Hilllbilly Custom Has Old World Roots
My mother’s maiden name was Clark, and Clark is an English name. Her mother’s maiden name was McElhaney…a decidedly Scotch/Irish name. On my father’s side, Kegley is German, and my father’s mother’s maiden name was DeAtley, decidedly French. But one thing they all had in-common, was their Appalachian upbringing. All were of the American culture, rudely, and roughly known as “Hillbillies”, and they all settled in Virginia and later Kentucky before making
it into Ohio…namely, Scioto County.
One feature of our heritage was the custom of performing “Bellings” for newly married couples of our McConnell Avenue, Portsmouth neighborhood. I remember that my Mom, Mary (Clark) Kegley, who grew up in Clifford, Ohio, a whistle-stop just north of Lucasville, would organize the events. She
would find out when the couple was to return from their honeymoon, and
wait a few days before setting the time, usually just after nightfall,
to congregate in front of the newly-married couple’s house. We’d have all sorts of noisemakers, pots and pans, whistles, and cowbells, and we’d
set up a din until the new couple would come to their door with some sort of treats, to get us to stop.
I don’t know whether anybody notified the couple in advance, but invariably we’d be rewarded for our hullabaloo of sound. It was always a fun-time!
The
word for the “Belling” as stated in the dictionary is “Shivaree”, a
noun meaning a “noisy mock serenade to a newly married couple”. Shivaree was my Word-of-the Day a few years ago. Here’s how they described the custom:
In 19th century rural America, a newly-married couple might be treated to a
mock serenade, performed with pots, pans, homemade instruments, and other
noisemakers. Such cacophonous serenades were traditionally considered
especially appropriate for second marriages or for unions deemed incongruous
because of an age discrepancy or some other cause. In the eastern U.S. this
custom, imported from rural England, was simply called a "serenade" or known
under various local names. In much of the central U.S. and Canada, however,
it was called a "shivaree," a loan from French "charivari," which denotes
the same folk custom in France. In more recent years, "shivaree" has also
developed broader senses; it is sometimes used to mean simply "a cacophony"
mock serenade, performed with pots, pans, homemade instruments, and other
noisemakers. Such cacophonous serenades were traditionally considered
especially appropriate for second marriages or for unions deemed incongruous
because of an age discrepancy or some other cause. In the eastern U.S. this
custom, imported from rural England, was simply called a "serenade" or known
under various local names. In much of the central U.S. and Canada, however,
it was called a "shivaree," a loan from French "charivari," which denotes
the same folk custom in France. In more recent years, "shivaree" has also
developed broader senses; it is sometimes used to mean simply "a cacophony"
Gleaned from the internet…
MURPHY'S OTHER LAWS1. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.
2. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
3. A day without sunshine is like, well, night.
4. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
5. Back up my hard drive? How do I put it in reverse?
6. I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.
7. Seen it all, done it all. Can't remember most of it.
8. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
9. I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
10. He's not dead. He's electroencephalographically challenged.
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