You probably might have heard about bachelor and bachelorette parties. In the U.S. it is called a bachelor and bachelorette party while in England it is called a Stag Party and Hen Do. The term hen which is a female bird has been used to describe a woman while the stag represents a man.
Whatever the definition is, be it so, as we aren’t interested in the definition. However, what is interesting is how the Scottish celebrate this pre-wedding tradition. The Scottish call it “Blackening the Bride.” It’s a pre-wedding tradition where the engaged couple is kidnapped by friends and family and gunked with anything from rotten eggs and fish guts to dog food and molasses.
“If you never knew anything about blackening and you chanced upon it on a village green you would really think you were witnessing a medieval torture,” according to Dr Sheila Young, from the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute.
The blackening custom was birthed during the 19th century, from a cleansing ritual referred to as feet-washing. In its basic essence, it was a cleaning ritual aimed at preparing women for marriage. During the foot-washing, the women’s feet were blackened with soot from a chimney.
According to Dr. Young, by the early 20th century, the ritual became more of an outdoor activity, especially for couples getting married during summer. As a result, it began to develop and involve other activities such as pillorying, and tar feathering.
Over time, the custom had couples running away from the custom but they were eventually captured and blackened. It is believed to have lost its relevance as a cleansing ritual and become more of a dirtying ritual with a figurative meaning.
RR Author
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