Bill and fellow romantics
>I have no idea why this does not take place in the NHS!
Nouveau riche (?). Patronising action of hypocrits on one level but a pleasant innocent activity on another. Of course such gatherings are loaded with PC conventions such not telling your boss what you think of them (off the record); and definately no funny business involving the photocopier.
I will tell a story about myself. First of all, I tell my boss(es) exactly what I think of them 365 days of the year. That is probably why I have had so many jobs in my life and not been invited to too many parties, either. However I once photocopied by bottom (in th privacy of my single office) for a Christmas wheeze. I made up a face mask and wore it to a mask party much to the amusement of my fellow revelers who remained, in the main, blissfully unaware of what they were looking at. When I was asked who I was, I replied "I am Jim Royale" (character from the Royal Family (BBC) whose catchphrase was 'My arse!').
>Scotland too has pantomimes and the villain always speaks with an English accent. Again, I can't imagine why!
In Europe all female roles until after the Bard, were played by men. Acting was always considered a dubious occupation, and the ambiguity surrounding the sexuality of the female impersonators was cause for alarm. People in the middle ages were most uncomfortable with misrepresentation and cross dressing in particular was always viewed with great suspicion. This anachronism became epitomised in the Pantomime dame and ‘camping up’ the part was a form of satire. The English accent was a racial slur implying all Sassenachs were effeminate and more importantly untrustworthy. The mere fact Scottish Barons had systematically robbed their countrymen blind for centuries make the Zionistic marginalisation all the more amusing. The Scots and Irish traditionally went barefoot and considered the habit of wearing shoes as effete and something only an Englishman would do. There was a term “Going Irish” used in the 17th century which referred to going barefoot, a fad which was picked up by some English aristocracy. They posed for portraits in full dress of the period but were otherwise barefoot. The same came a little later when the English aristocracy dressed in highland fancy dress. Up until this time ordinary Scots were banned from wearing their traditional highland dress but the new parlour fashion for fancy dress crossed over into what is now seen as Scottish Highland Dress (or a bastardisation of traditional Scottish sartorial).
>Also in England, although I believe elsewhere in the world also, it is custom to lace an old pair of shoes to the back of the bridal couple's car.
Marriage superstitions are found in all cultures and association with feet, footwear and marital bliss has a long linage dating back millennium. Romans thought evil spirits gathered at doorways and to avoid contact, the new bride was always carried over the threshold. The same superstition can be found in Japanese culture when shoes are left outside the home. By the Middle Ages, European brides wore slippers or socks to her nuptial bed to prevent her bare feet from touching the floor and inviting misfortune. Bridal accents represented merriment, virginity and abundance and brides have carried age-old amulets to ward off the evil-eye. Later these came to include a chivalrous garter, an heirloom brooch of innocence, and a buckle (or bow) to fasten her shoes. An old greeting given to the bride and groom on the way to the church was "A happy foot!" and it was customary for the bride to ward off evil sprits by kissing fellow travelers and inviting them to join her on the road to the church. Refusal was taken as a bad omen and all were welcome except barefooted women, who were treated as witches and would bring only, bad luck. The exchange of shoes in many cultures plays a critical role in the ceremony of union. Married couples in the Inca culture signalled completion of ceremony with the exchanged of sandals. In Biblical times taking off a shoe demonstrated completion of a business contract. In Ruth 4:7, the kinsman of Boaz, “drew off his shoe," to indicate a land deal, described as "this was a testimony in Israel." Whether this was the origins of the custom where fathers’ of the bride gave the groom their daughter’s shoe to symbolise the exchange of chattels and the responsibility for the bride’s well being remains unknown. In medieval France, the custom was for the groom to sit with his shoe over his bride’s foot during the ceremony or alternatively, at the end of the ceremony for the groom to tap his bride’s head with her shoe to demonstrate he was master of the house. In other countries the bride’s wedding shoe was placed at the head of the bed on the husband’s side to symbolise his sexual possession of his bride and to encourage fertility. Today wedding shoes are frequently kept by the bride, which may have its origins in these customs. For most cultures the connection between footwear, luck and marriage still continues with the miniature silver shoe on the wedding cake and the symbolic tying of a boot or shoe to the back of the vehicle in which the newly weds begin their honeymoon.
The origins of the old English custom to throwing shoes at the bride and groom are obscure but may relate to the symbolic clash of the relatives. In many cultures women were abducted and the groom would steal his bride from her family which often ensued in a fight. Shoes may have been used as a weapon, today usually the only shoes thrown are paper confetti shapes. An old Northern Italian custom was to have everyone try on the bride’s shoe and in Hungary the groom drank a toast to his future bride from out of her wedding slipper. The bride’s red shoes in China were tossed from the roof to ensure their future happiness. In Finland the groom had to give his new mother in law a pair of shoes before he could join his bride. A Welsh variant was bride and groom were given a pair of shoes (usually clogs) cut from a single block of wood and joined together by a chain. Two little cavities contained a lump of sugar and a piece of coal to ensure the couple would never lack sustenance and warmth.
Kissing the feet was a common part of ceremony from antiquity and by the 16th century, in France, newly married couples stood outside the church naked, as the groom kissed the bride’s big toe of her left foot. The ceremony was complete only when each partner gave the other the sign of the cross first with their heels, then with their hands. A common variation was for the bride to kiss the groom's foot.
An old English custom was for the male guests to rush the bride after the ceremony to remove her garter. In Europe if a new bride lost her footing on the way to her new home from the church this was considered a very bad omen. Whether it was this superstition or that so many brides were injured in this panic attack the custom evolved into throwing the garter to the groomsmen. In many countries the married couple were accompanied to the bridal suite by their families. Removal and exchange of stockings was an intimate affair and represented an intimate act of caring and commitment to each other. ‘Flinging the stocking' probably predates throwing the bride’s bouquet and took place after the wedding couple were escorted to the wedding chamber by their guests.
Fortunately the shoes thrown today are paper confetti shapes. In antiquity shoes were frequently accessorised with horns, crescents and other representations of the moon. Throwing shoe shaped confetti may symbolise the propitiation of the moon and fertility.
The rhyme "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." is often slavishly followed but few people know the last line to the rhyme "and a lucky sixpence in her shoe." Although the origins of the rhyme are unknown it did appear for the first time in print during the 19th century and was ascribed to "some Lancashire friends". From the seventeenth century "something old" was thought to protect a baby. The something old could be the bride's garter, her slippers or a handkerchief but a pair of shoes belonging to someone special in the bride's life was also common. Grooms too were known to wear something old and in Biblical times old boots were given to worn at the ceremony. There are no citations for "something new" albeit brides would normally wear their best dress to the ceremony. From early Saxon days through to the 18th century the poor bride came to the wedding dressed in a plain white robe. The significance of which had little to do with virginity but instead was a public declaration that she brought nothing with her to the marriage and had no debt for her new husband to honor. It was widely accounted wearing something burrowed was lucky. The something borrowed varied to something golden or something stolen. A common belief was the bride would enjoy the same luck as the previous owner if the shoes of another happy bride were worn. This custom may well account why today the bride’s shoes are kept as keep sake. Wearing something blue was an expression of faithfulness and was cited in Chaucer's' Squire's Tale (1390). A long standing bridal superstition stated no harm could befall a bride wearing blue, so very often a bride selected either a blue garter or one coordinated with her bridal colours. The blue hue of choice was heaven's blue. Carrying a coin at the wedding symbolically come to represent future wealth for the bride but the origins of a ‘sixpence under the shoe’ probably relates to the ancient custom of "Jus Prima Noctis", where the king, lord, or priest of the parish could claim access to the bride on her first night of marriage. This was common to many cultures including the Scots. During the reign of Malcolm III (1058-93), Queen Margaret demanded and secured the abolition of the law and a mark of silver was substituted as the price of redemption of the girl's chastity. This is thought to be the purpose of the sixpence under her shoe. It was not until seven hundred years later however in 1774 that the lucky silver sixpence appeared in the official records when a Scottish groom used the sixpence in his shoe to ward off evil from his revival. From then on Scottish bridegrooms would protect themselves by placing a silver sixpence under their feet and stand on the latchet of their shoe laces. The latter would prevent them from tripping another reference to setting out on a journey. By 1814 brides commonly used the silver sixpence as talisman to ward off evil doings from disappointed suitors. In Canada, brides wore a 25 cent bill in their shoes and US brides from North Carolina carried a dollar bill in their shoes. In Sweden, the father of he bride placed a silver coin in the left shoe of the bride and the mother put a gold coin in the right shoe. This meant the bride would never lack luxuries. A common belief was the bride would enjoy the same luck as the previous owner if the shoes of another happy bride were worn. This custom may well account why today the bride’s shoes are kept as keep sake. Wearing something blue was an expression of faithfulness and was cited in Chaucer's' Squire's Tale (1390). A long standing bridal superstition stated no harm could befall a bride wearing blue, so very often a bride selected either a blue garter or one coordinated with her bridal colours. The blue hue of choice was heaven's blue. Carrying a coin at the wedding symbolically come to represent future wealth for the bride but the origins of a ‘sixpence under the shoe’ probably relates to the ancient custom of "Jus Prima Noctis", where the king, lord, or priest of the parish could claim access to the bride on her first night of marriage. This was common to many cultures including the Scots. During the reign of Malcolm III (1058-93), Queen Margaret demanded and secured the abolition of the law and a mark of silver was substituted as the price of redemption of the girl's chastity. This is thought to be the purpose of the sixpence under her shoe. It was not until seven hundred years later however in 1774 that the lucky silver sixpence appeared in the official records when a Scottish groom used the sixpence in his shoe to ward off evil from his revival. From then on Scottish bridegrooms would protect themselves by placing a silver sixpence under their feet and stand on the latchet of their shoe laces. The latter would prevent them from tripping another reference to setting out on a journey. By 1814 brides commonly used the silver sixpence as talisman to ward off evil doings from disappointed suitors. In Canada, brides wore a 25 cent bill in their shoes and US brides from North Carolina carried a dollar bill in their shoes. In Sweden, the father of he bride placed a silver coin in the left shoe of the bride and the mother put a gold coin in the right shoe. This meant the bride would never lack luxuries.
Scottish bridegrooms too had their superstitions and many wore their left shoe without buckle or lacing (latchets) to prevent witches from interfering with their male prowess on the night of nuptials. An alternative in the Isle of Sky was to tie their shoes together where as in other parts of the highlands the laces on the right shoe were loosened at the church door. No explanation can be found to explain these quaint customs.
A bridesmaid who trips on her way to the alter will remain a spinster and in Germany pregnant women wore their husband’s shoes. This was thought to her strength because the husband was stronger. Throwing shoe shaped confetti may symbolise the propitiation of the moon and fertility. In Lancashire married women wanting to conceive a child would try on the shoes of a woman who had just given birth. This custom may convey the implied reason for trying on shoes in Cinderella. The Prince was selecting an appropriate partner for procreation. When the laces of a lady's shoe were undone then her lover was thinking about her. A bridesmaid who trips on her way to the alter will remain a spinster and in Germany pregnant women wore their husband’s shoes. This was thought to her strength because the husband was stronger.
toeslayer
Shoes and Christmas
Hybrid Mode
