School: Sliabh na Cille (roll number 14513)

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1. Local Marriage Customs

   

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   Marriage superstitions still exist in some parts of the country as regards the day on which to wed. This rhyme is still common among the people:-
   "Monday for wealth,
   Tuesday for health,
   Wednesday best day of them all.
   Thursday for crosses,
   Friday for losses,
   Saturday no luck at all."
   The month of June is considered a lucky month in which to marry. To tie an old shoe on the end of the car after the marriage ceremony is considered lucky.
   The colour of a bride's gown is another custom. In the past yellow was the wedding colour but this was changed to white in order to prevent evil spirits from taking possession of the bride. Green is an unlucky colour for a wedding. According to an old suprestition bride and groom should arrange to meet a spider or a wolf of the way to the church.
   The match-maker was an important personage in Ireland over fifty years ago. She was actually employed by people to make "matches" and often completed five of them in a day. She worked principally on fair-days and nearly in every case those transactions were carried out in public-houses. She had to take mental notes of what distance the intended groom was from the church, the town, or shops, or even the spring well or was his farm good or bad land and how much stock he had on it.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. rites of passage (~573)
            1. marriage (~4,283)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Francie Browne

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Mrs Susan Rynn

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Aughrim, Co. Leitrim