Scottish Customs and Holidays - Love and Marriage

SCOTTISH CUSTOMS AND HOLIDAYS

Love and Marriage

Inverness Courier
Inverness, 1820

The editor of the Edinburgh Literary Journal lately drew a moving picture of the insipidity of most modern marriages stating that a few soft looks, a walk, a squeeze of the hand, a popping of the question, a ring, a clergyman, etc. made up the whole of the commonplace affair. Our friend, the editor, like the public, will be glad to hear that they managed the affair much better in the Highlands. The following instance of old-fashioned mirth and jollity in the present dull, disastrous times, is really, as Mr Jeffrey says, 'quite refreshing'. Last week a wedding was solemnized in the wild but beautiful Glen of Urquhart, near Lakefield, betwixt George Anderson, the blacksmith of the district, and Marjory May Macdonald, a decent young damsel, who belonged to the same parish. As the 'Gobhadh-òg-a-Ghlinne', or blacksmith, is still a personage of some importance in the thinly populated straths, a vast concourse of people assembled on the joyous occasion, and numerous presents were made from all quarters, that there might be a competency of good things of this world available at the ceremony. The younger members of the families of Lochletter, Lakefield, and Corrimony graces [sic] the scene with their presence, and there were in all four hundred persons assembled. All the maidens displayed their snoods and plaids, about ninety of the young men were dressed in full Highland garb. The preparations for the feast would not have disgraced an English corporation dinner or vestry meeting. There were 200 Scottish pints or 100 English gallons of whisky; 15 Scots or 60 English gallons of home brewed ale; 2 cows; 18 Highland wedders; 12 salmon; 3 dozen hens; 40 ducks; and 6 turkeys; 30 brace of muirfowl; and 6 black cocks; 50 stones of cheese; 7 stones of butter; 6 bolls of meal baked into cakes; 50 cogs of croudie; with milk in all varieties of preparation, and eggs 'thick as the leaves of Vallombrosa'. The distribution of the native beverage was entrusted to the management of a Highland Caleb Balderstone called 'Sogan Buidhe' (hearty, jovial fellow), and he performed the important functions with such success, that there was not one of the guests upon which he did not confer the degree of hilarity, so admirably defined by his Celtic cognomen. As merry-makings of this sort do not occur every day, even in the Highlands, the guests wisely resolved to make the most of the occasion, and they accordingly kept up the festivities from Tuesday till Saturday night. Among many diversions resorted to for amusement, the athletic and national sport of putting the stone was the favourite, at which a man named 'lan-mor-na Cunn', about 6ft 6in high, the Goliath of tne glen outdistanced all his competitors, except one, while throwing the stone kneeling upon one knee. Dancing was kept up with occasional short intervals, day and night - the mountain dew circulated with a twelve horse power of rapidity, while the pipérs 'hotched and blew with might and main'. The local band of pipers and fiddlers was led and the dancing was conducted by an eccentric, well qualified master of ceremonies, named 'Murrach na Gealaich' or 'Murdo of the Moon', a sobriquet originating in a Munchansen [Munchausenianj feat, which Murdo boasts of having performed with a favourite rifle - namely, having with one shot brought down and enormous earn or eagle, and fractured at the same time a piece of the moon. On the whole, 'sic dancing and deray', has not been witnessed for many a long year in the Glen of Urquhart, and as the Gaelic bards are invoking the great lost power of song to celebrate the event, there can be no doubt but the nuptials of 'Gou-òg-a-Ghlinn', and the bonny May, will be sung and remembered to the latest posterity.

*Source - Scottish Customs
From the Cradle to the Grave (Can be purchased in the Scottish Radiance bookshelf).
by Margaret Bennett

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