School: Naomh Bríghid, Blackwater (roll number 7036)

Location:: Blackwater, Co. Wexford
Teacher:: Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin

Filter stories

Person Language

Back / 164 Forward

Resolution: Low | High

Naomh Bríghid, Blackwater | The Schools’ Collection

Old Marriage Customs - Cutting the Bridecake (continued)

(continued from previous page)

divided her piece between herself and the bridegroom. Then the bridesmaid cut the cake and gave a piece to each guest.
Whoever got the last piece if not married was said to be married before the next year was out. This hardly ever came to be true. Friday and Saturday were considered unlucky days to get married on. Some people were married in the afternoon.
If people got married on Thursday afternoon they never had a feast that day but they feasted all the next day and feasted all night also.

Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
History | Edit »

Old Marriage Customs

In the olden times when people got married they rejoiced for a very long time. They went to the Bride's home first and feasted there for two days and two nights. They then went to the Bridegroom's home and feasted there for two days and two nights also. If the feasting happened to fall on Shrove Tuesday they feasted until twelve o'clock and at that hour they all were silent and said they feast no more because shrove was in.

The Bride's mother always made a special kind of a cake for the marriage day. She made the top of the very hard and she made a lovely cover for the cake. She got a very stiff piece of cardboard and she covered it with a very ornamental cloth. When the marriage group came in the Bride and Bridegroom stood on the cake while the people around congratulated them.

The old people say that the Bridegroom was

(continues on next page)