A Strange Tradition

[Suebartlett]

After a wedding when the husband and wife returned home, the woman would throw warm penny coins from the bedroom window on a shovel, the local children gathered below, would scramble to collect the coins.

This was practiced in York when my Dad was a child (20s/30s), does anyone know if this still happens anywhere today and where the tradition may have come from?

Cheers
Sue

[Geoffers]

After a wedding when the husband and wife returned home, the woman would throw warm penny coins from the bedroom window on a shovel, the local children gathered below, would scramble to collect the coins.
This was practiced in York when my Dad was a child (20s/30s), does anyone know if this still happens anywhere today and where the tradition may have come from?
Not quite the same, but until the late 1950's/early 1960's at Chipping Norton, warm pennies were thrown down into the street for children at (I think) Easter. A curious tradition. I shall have to have a browse through my books to see if I can find out why.

Geoffers

[Linda]

I was born and raised in Leeds but never heard of this tradition - until I married a Scot here in Canada and went back to his hometown in Scotland for a family wedding in 1989.


The children were waiting outside the bride's home, and the bride's father threw coins as they were leaving for the church. Hubby and I were staying next door at my mother-in-law's, so we threw coins too! :)

It had been snowing that morning, so the children came back the next day after it had melted and found coins that had disappeared in the snow. :D

Linda

[Geoffers]

After a wedding when the husband and wife returned home, the woman would throw warm penny coins from the bedroom window on a shovel, the local children gathered below, would scramble to collect the coins.
.....does anyone know if this still happens anywhere today and where the tradition may have come from?
The 'Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore' (J.Simpson and S.Roud - publ OUP, 2000 - ISBN 0-19-860398-3) hints at the origin. Under 'Weddings' (page 383):

"It was quite common to bar the way of the party returning from church, for example by a locked gate or a rope across he road; the groom would be expected to pay to be allowed through, often by tossing coins to be scarmbled for." (The authors appear to be quoting themselves from an earlier book, 'The folklore of Warwickshire' - 1976 - by Roy Palmer).

continued.....

[Geoffers]

Sorry to drift slightly off topic for this thread, but on the same page as the quote I have mentioned, the following is written.......

"A more dangerous custom is revealed when a man tried for shooting at, and damaging, the door of the bride's mother at Pensham, Worcestershire pleaded this was customary at weddings." (Worcester Herald 22 Mar 1845).

Yeah right - of course it was ;) Believe that and you'll believe anything. I bet he was just dropping a hint that there was no way she was ever going to live with them!

Geoffers

[Ladkyis]

In Raglan Monmouthshire until well into the 80s it was a tradition for the village children to hold a rope across the church gate when the bride and groom came out of the church. The newly weds would throw pennies to pay to be let out into the village. in the later years this meant the parents of the children stopping the traffic in both directions past the church to ensure that their children were not mown down by passing traffic. I left the village in the early 80s so I will ring my friend who is still in the church choir and ask her if this tradition still happens. OH just looked at the time so I'll ring her tomorrow :)

Ann

[Linda]

Having just received "Manners and Rules of Good Society" (1912) from Archive CD Books Canada, I looked up Weddings and found an even more strange custom:

"The old fashioned custom of throwing satin slippers after the bride is sometimes observed, foolish as it is. It is the best man's or the head bridesmaid's privilege to perform this ridiculous act"

OUCH! :eek:

[Mary Young]

In Edinburgh in the 1930s, we would gather outside the bride's home, waiting for the "poor-oot" as she left for the last time as a single woman. Then we'd run to the Church, hoping for more largesse as the happy couple emerged You needed nimble feet and sharp elbows. :)
Here's a nice picture of a "scramble" outside an Inverness Church, 1950s http://tinyurl.com/95ccs

[Deebee]

I was Married in 1963 in Cumberland and it was the Tradition then that all the local children would gather outside the Bride's home and as she was leaving for Church her Father would throw pennies out of the car . This was still done for a number of years after then but whether it still happens I cannot say as I now live at the other end of the country .

[suedent]

Having just received "Manners and Rules of Good Society" (1912) from Archive CD Books Canada, I looked up Weddings and found an even more strange custom:

"The old fashioned custom of throwing satin slippers after the bride is sometimes observed, foolish as it is. It is the best man's or the head bridesmaid's privilege to perform this ridiculous act"

OUCH! :eek:

That might explain part of the tradition of tieing shoes and cans to the bumper of the car when the bride & groom leave the reception.

[apehangmom]

I thought that the tin cans on cars were some how supposed to scare demons or something silly like that away from the bride and groom. But due to the canning process and using cars... that has to be adapted from some other practice... just like when you leave the church you blow your car horn till you reach the reception hall. ( this is no longer done either. ) but I do feel there is some thing to making noise after you complete the wedding vows. till you reach your home or desination after the wedding.

[Lindad]

Ah... cast your mind back to the 1995 film of Sense and Sensibility...

After Willoughby has behaved so badly and Marianne has nearly died, and Elinor and Edward Ferrars have sorted out all their misunderstandings... Marianne and Col Brandon leave the church after their wedding and Alan Rickman... er, I mean Col Brandon throws a handfull of shiny coins into the air and all the children scramble for them as the credits roll...

Sniff... has anyone got a tissue? It was a lovely film! :D

[Jan1954]

Although not answering the original question, there appear to be many superstitions and traditions associated with weddings. Have a look here: http://www.weddings.co.uk/info/tradsupe.htm

[Peter_uk_can]

I was born and brought up in Yorkshire. The very thought of deliberately throwing away coins of any denomination I am sure would send shudders through most Yorkshire folk.

[Jan1954]

I was born and brought up in Yorkshire. The very thought of deliberately throwing away coins of any denomination I am sure would send shudders through most Yorkshire folk.

Fret not, Peter. According to the website that I found, it was cake rather than coins in Yorkshire :D

[Peter_uk_can]

Fret not, Peter. According to the website that I found, it was cake rather than coins in Yorkshire :D


I remember my Mum taking me to "Guest's" cake shop in Barnsley. If I was really good she would let me look at them through the window and as a special treat I would somewtimes get to ride home on the bus next to someone who had bought some.

[Dargie]

Nothing to do with weddings but the mention of throwing a satin slipper after the bride reminds me of something my Suffolk grandma always did.

Whenever my brother or I left for an examination at school it was traditional for her to throw her slipper after us!

Can't say it helped the final mark on the exam paper (and it sometimes hurt!) but it certainly made us forget our nerves and we always felt sure that if it didn't happen we would somehow fail the exam!
:)
Marj.

[apehangmom]

Okay they threw rice for fertility... so was the coin thing some thing that was adapted ... was it a spread of the mans wealth? hummm
Okay the cake thing jan1954.. can you imagine working for months to sew together a gown and having some one smear it with cake... OH GOD. I would die... I know how I was trying to keep my gown clean.. and it was impossible.. but back then.. you know that cake and gowns had to be expensive. dont you think so?

[daleaway]

Weren't shoes fertility symbols as well as good luck symbols?

Medieval builders often put an old shoe into a house wall, usually near the chimney.

And in the 1950s and 60s I recall the silver shoe appeared among the silver charms on top of wedding cakes, and even mini white satin slippers on the ribbons from the bride's bouquet. That's why shoes got tied to the wedding car, as well.

Then there's the silver shoe charm on your Monopoly set.

A potent symbol.

[birdlip]

I thought the shoe throwing was more of a general 'blessing and good luck' thing than fertility, but perhaps it depends which part of the country you came from.

I'm sure I've read that the shoe built into the wall was to stop the devil coming into the house via the chimney. Sort of Medieval Feng Shui really, isn't it?

[daleaway]

That would be Feng Shoe-y.

[Jan1954]

That would be Feng Shoe-y.

And if it's thrown - "Flung Shoe-y"?

[birdlip]

hahahaha...I ended up wearing most of my morning cuppa thanks to you two!

[apehangmom]

that is funny about the shoe.. But how did the shoe represent fertility.. I guess it was good luck to have a shoe... lol I would hate not to have shoes. thanks chris

[Peter_uk_can]

This answers a few of the questions, but maybe spread the search to see if it is confirmed elsewhere.

http://www.elegantweddings.ca/wedding%20traditions%20and%20lore.htm

We all know how innacurate the internet can be at times.