Blackening (Scottish wedding custom)

Blackening is a traditional wedding custom performed in the days or weeks prior to marriages in rural areas of Scotland.[1]

The bride and/or groom are 'captured' by friends and family, covered in food, or a variety of other - preferably adhesive - substances, then paraded publicly for the community to see. Frequently, the couple are driven in the back of an open-backed truck, accompanied by the clattering and banging of pots and pans by the couple's 'captors'. There are no strict rules regarding the act of blackening itself, only that the couple must be rendered messy and uncomfortable, and that as many people as possible should witness the occasion.[2] [3] [4][5] [6][7]

Blackenings occur predominantly in rural areas of north-east Scotland, the Highlands and the Northern Isles. The origins of the custom are obscure, though these are now the subject of academic study by the University of the Highlands and Islands.[8]

References

  1. ↑ The Scotsman 'Scottish Word of the Week', March 27, 2014. http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/scottish-word-of-the-week-blackening-1-3356224
  2. ↑ Bennett, Margaret: 'Scottish Customs From the Cradle to the Grave', (Polygon, 1992), pg.112-113. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iba8BQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
  3. ↑ Galvan, Javier A: 'They Do What? Encyclopaedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs From Around the World', 'Blackening the Bride', Rachelanne Smith, (ABC -CLIO, 2014) pg. 29-32. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e2RyBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31&dq=blackening+wedding&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oPicVePtMuir7AaP14-ABQ&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
  4. ↑ Scots Dictionary Definition: http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sndns386
  5. ↑ VisitScotland (Scottish Government agency) article on Scottish wedding customs: http://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/weddings/traditions/
  6. ↑ Young, Sheila: December 10, 2015 'A Filthy, Dirty and Abominable Practice: A Short History of Blackening', PhD lecture, MacRobert Hall, Tarland, Aberdeenshire. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/events/7568/
  7. ↑ American interpretation of a blackening, with narration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JV33gobyp0
  8. ↑ BBC News,'Scottish bride and groom 'blackening' ritual explored in UHI course' June 21, 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18535106
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