Scottish Rituals

by Jade Starmore

Part 1: Birth

For as long as history has been recorded, all cultures have had their own particular rituals to mark the most important points in life. At this point it is safe to assume that even if the human race decides to decamp to Mars and live in glass bubbles, they will continue to celebrate birth, marriage and death in some form or other. Although our ways of celebrating change to suit our own particular period of history, we still imbue these events with the same value as our ancestors did.

The Scottish Highlands & Islands are no exception when it comes to peculiar customs, especially surrounding childbirth. Before the 1940s families were generally much larger than today's average of 1 to 3 children per family. My maternal grandparents came from families of 7 and 6, which was not considered large. A family of double figures was thought necessary to ensure the survival of enough children who could care for their parents in old age. Infant mortality was high, as was the number of women who died during and after childbirth, so it is not surprising that most of the rituals observed were aimed at protecting the baby's soul rather than its body, which may not be occupied for very long. Luckily the advent of hospitals and general hygiene awareness has changed the childbirth experience dramatically. Although even today, armed with breathing exercises and birthing pools, it is a rare woman who does not succumb to panic and exhaustion at some point in the proceedings. The old Hebridean 'blackhouses' were split into a sleeping room, a living and cooking room, and a byre, and it was in the byre beside the cow that the women often went to give birth. It is hard to imagine how a woman giving birth in a blackhouse, facing the possibility of the death of both her baby and herself, could retain a hold on sanity. Obviously the customs that were practised during the 'crying' (Scottish term for labour) gave so much comfort to the women involved that they passed them on to their own daughters.

One of the main worries faced by families during a woman's birthing were fairies, who were particularly partial to human milk and unbaptised babies. There were several tasks undertaken to protect the woman in labour and her imminent offspring. All doors to the house had to be unlocked to symbolise an easy birth and mirrors covered in case the soul of the baby became imprisoned behind the glass. A pair of the husband's trousers would also be draped over the end of the bed to show his protection. The husband himself would traditionally be somewhere else entirely - one of the few customs which persisted up until very recently. As soon as the baby emerged a protective substance - salt, whisky or butter - would be placed in its mouth and the afterbirth removed and buried. In some places the spot would be marked and a tree planted, its growth representing the child's development. This was not common practice in the more exposed northerly areas, where managing to get a tree above waist height is still considered something of an achievement. After the new baby was settled with its mother a 'crying cheese' would be divided amongst the women present and washed down with some form of ale by way of a celebration. Although this practice has died out, the custom of 'wetting the babies head' (which involves the husband together with male friends and relatives drinking liberal quantities of alcohol) continues to be enthusiastically practised today, although the baby no longer plays a part in the proceedings.

The most perilous time for the young infant was before its christening. This was the time when fairies were most likely to try and steal the child and place a changeling in the crib. There were various ways to guard against this. The baby was usually kept in the room where it was born until the day of the christening, and it was considered especially important not to praise it in any way in case the fairies heard. Any rash comments referring to attractiveness or good temper had to be immediately followed by God Save him/her, and presumably the speaker was encouraged to remove themselves from the vicinity. Often a piece of iron would be placed in the crib beside the baby, the fathers dirk - a long iron dagger - being favoured for this purpose, especially in days before the Reformation. The more recent replacement of dirk with bible seems a considerably safer option. The best protection of all was a speedy christening, which deterred the fairies and also guaranteed the child a place in heaven (and on a more physical note, the church cemetery) should its health fail. The fierce gales that attack the Highlands on a fairly regular basis were sometimes attributed to the cries of the restless souls of unbaptised babies. Once christened the child was considerably safer, although as a precaution the hair was not cut during the first year of life. The nails could be bitten short provided that the cuttings were carefully disposed of.

The new mother was also considered to be in danger as long as she was breastfeeding. One cautionary tale describes a young woman being kidnapped by the fairies to breastfeed their children. She managed to enter her husband's dream and instructed him to go out the next night because the fairy court was passing that way. When he saw her he had to throw her wedding dress over her head and she would be able to return with him to the house. The next evening his courage failed him and he remained in the house. The following morning he went outside and found that there was blood on the walls of the house. His wife never reappeared. Such horrific events could be avoided by a 'churching' ceremony - the first appearance at church after the birth - which was sometimes preceded by a procession circling the church three times sunwise.

Although most of these rituals have now been abandoned, some customs do live on. 'Hanselling' the baby involved family friends giving the new addition a coin to hold in its hand. This was meant to bring luck to both parties and also to establish how good the child would be with their finances in future. The baby who held on to the coin would do well, whereas the one who dropped the coin instantly would always be short of money. This tradition has lived on although it has evolved slightly. As I have found from personal experience, it is best to check the blankets around a new baby's pram before putting them in the wash. On several occasions when my son was a baby, after stopping to converse with older Lewis women, I found that a five pound note had been carefully tucked in beside him to bring luck - and possibly to ward off the fairies.

JS

Part 2: Marriage

The marriage contracts of the Highlanders were settled in a singular manner. The men of both families assembled, attended by a number of their friends. While it was the custom to go armed on all occasions, they sometimes went to the place of meeting in a sort of military parade, with pipers playing before them. As soon as the bridegroom and his retinue appeared, an embassy was dispatched to them ... demanding to know whether they meant peace or war.

This description was given in the nineteenth century of a practise that was close to dying out as marriage customs from across the border overtook and diluted the traditional Highland wedding. As is the case with childbirth, many marriage customs have now been forgotten. The replacement, which can be seen across Scotland every summer, is a very Victorian version of the old Highland wedding, and has lost many of the odd customs of yesteryear, although happily some do remain.

Before the 1800s there was surprisingly liberal attitude to marriage across Scotland. People think that marriage before our modern age was often an unfair and restricting bond. It is surprising to find that the marital customs of Scotland, and in particular the remote Highlands, are not that far removed from our own modern views. This eighteenth century description of an annual fair shows that people had a good understanding that love ower het soon cools:

...it was the custom for unmarried persons of both sexes to choose a companion... with whom they were to live till that time next year. This was called hand-fasting, or hand in fist. If they were pleased with each other at that time, then they continued together for life; if not, they separated, and were free to make another choice as at the first. The fruit of their connexion (if there were any), was always attached to the disaffected person.

This very practical arrangement went on at annual fairs until it was finally stamped out by the church, who obviously did not approve of such goings on. A more innocent custom was practised in the Hebrides right up until the Second World War. This was known in Gaelic as Cathrais na h-Oidhche and involved the young courting (or winching as my grandfather's generation called it) couple sharing a bed for the night, fully clothed. It was expected that they would talk and get to know each other but not have any physical contact. Although this may seem like wishful thinking on behalf of the parents the proceedings were for the most part very innocent, mainly because the bedroom would be crowded with other siblings.

Once a couple had decided that they were suited to each other, preparations for the wedding began. Of course the bride-to-be would already have a good portion of her kist box ready by this time. This would contain sheets, pillow cases, table cloths and various other household items for use after marriage. These would have been prepared throughout childhood, and as soon as a girl was sufficiently well educated in the arts of needlecraft, small items would be started. Each item would usually be decorated with a piece of embroidery of some sort. The other important matter to be addressed was the bride's dowry. Often the bridegroom and his friends would visit the bride's father of an evening to discuss this. The conversation would be peculiar to say the least. The bride would not be mentioned at all. Instead the company would discuss a good animal to whom the bridegroom was going to give a home. Although this might seem rather insulting to the bride, this was a precaution against the fairies who might steal a girl away if they heard there was a wedding ahead. Once a dowry was decided on ­ in the Highlands this was more likely to be animals and household goods than money ­ the bride, her friends and other family would enter and a few good drinks would be had.

One of the main tasks for the bride and her female relatives in the run-up to the wedding was the making of the wedding dress. For many centuries each village had a seamstress or two who made the bridal costumes for village weddings. These women would have mainly been housewives with particularly gifted hands. The completed wedding dress would reflect the bride's social status in terms of the fabrics used. It also reflected the state of the world in general. My grandmother, who became a part time seamstress after she married, was very unhappy about her wedding dress. Her wedding day was on the 16th January 1946, at a time when fabric was still strictly rationed and wedding dresses had to be sparsely cut.

When Queen Victoria married in a white gown and veil in 1840 she started a fashion that has turned into a uniform. Previously a wedding dress could be of any colour and pattern. The virginity and purity of the bride was represented through her hair, which would hang loose down her back in public for one last time. It was of course important for the groom not to see the bride in her dress before the wedding, but there were other rituals which also had to be observed if all was to go well. On the day the marriage banns were read out a foot washing ceremony would take place. The feet of the bride and groom would be washed by all their friends and family in turn. This would usually end in a rather damp but boisterous party. On the wedding day itself the bride had to be careful not to look at herself in the mirror when fully dressed. Also a silver sixpence slipped into her shoe would bring luck. In the Hebrides the bride also made sure there were no knots in her clothing as they could contain a witches curse. Thus prepared the bride would set off for church, making sure to stop on the way to give the first stranger she met some food and whisky: a task that would have been rather difficult in the close-knit rural communities of the Highlands. After the ceremony had taken place the wedding party would walk in a group to the bride's house for a meal. The young men in the procession would bang drums to scare away demons, fairies and other evil spirits. In later years the drums gave way to gunfire, which must have had a most satisfying echo on a still day.

On these occasions the young men supplied themselves with guns and pistols with which they kept up a constant firing. This was answered from every hamlet as they passed along, so that, with streamers flying, pipers playing, the constant firing from all sides, and the shouts of the young men, the whole had the appearance of a military array, passing, with all the noise of warfare, through a hostile country.

A tradition that has lived on to the present day is the feasting and dancing that takes place on the afternoon and evening of the wedding. A dance with Scottish country dancing and pipers is still thought to be a necessary part of any respectable wedding. The groom and best man will usually be in full Highland dress, as will most of the younger male guests.

Another rather surprising custom has lived on also. In the past, a few days before a wedding, friends of the bride and groom would dress the happy couple in rags and parade them through the streets. This was to confuse the fairies, who would only abduct people who were nicely attired. The custom has changed slightly nowadays and for the most part people have forgotten the reason behind it. So if you are ever in Stornoway during the summer, you may happen to see a procession of cars driving through the streets, loudly blowing their horns. The procession will be headed by an open backed builder's van containing a young couple, tied up and covered in a wide variety of messy foodstuffs. This means there will soon be a wedding ­ to which the fairies are definitely not invited.

Love has nae law.

JS