Week 19: Blackening of the Bride

<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Welcome to week 19 of our "52 traditions/rituals in 52 weeks".</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Yes it is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – blackening of the bride. In this Scottish ritual/tradition the poor bride is subjected to being covered in some disgusting concoctions and substances all in the name of easing her worries. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Luckily for the poor bride this takes place in the days leading up to the wedding and never on the day or even the day before. </span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><br /><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">The most common way of ‘blackening’ the bride is for her friends (debatable) to take her out into the streets and smother her in every awful substance they can find, usually including things like fish guts and molasses, spoiled milk and rotten eggs and occasionally topped off with flour, feathers or anything else that may help her to look ridiculous and smell terrible.</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MnXP9W8MguJ-Qj8Jc-Dj0H3N4i7WjrZhpCQL554cqytRgwiecglwKanBlSsHKOJ2fYdutjLajinF83kztqJ0A3BqhXKryehIIVbqPz6feq1u_L6UC21sjxH_vBSM0QhWe0jsSCGUQ8s2/s1600/Blackening+of+the+bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MnXP9W8MguJ-Qj8Jc-Dj0H3N4i7WjrZhpCQL554cqytRgwiecglwKanBlSsHKOJ2fYdutjLajinF83kztqJ0A3BqhXKryehIIVbqPz6feq1u_L6UC21sjxH_vBSM0QhWe0jsSCGUQ8s2/s320/Blackening+of+the+bride.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Believe it or not, it is thought that being subjected to this ultimate humiliation will mean that any problems or humiliations the couple may see in the future and within the marriage will seem so much less worrisome or and have little meaning in comparison.</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Sadly that is not the end to the ordeal – Completely covered from head to toe in the foul mix and smelling worse than you can imagine, the poor thing is then paraded through the streets, on show for all to see. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Her ‘friends’ who walk ahead of her bang pots and pans to ensure the attention of the crowd and then usually lead her to a local pub or club for a celebration of her coming marriage.</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">Although probably pretty awful and stink<span class="ecx649524505-31072012">y</span>, all in all this would probably be a pretty fun <span class="ecx649524505-31072012">ritual/</span>tradition <span class="ecx649524505-31072012">(or a slightly less foul version of) </span>to do with a group of girlfriends. The photos and the laughs would definitely last a lifetime.</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Wedding Gurus</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="ecx649524505-31072012">xxx</span></span></div>

Week 19: Blackening of the Bride

Welcome to week 19 of our "52 traditions/rituals in 52 weeks". Yes it is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – blackening of t...

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