Friday, September 10, 2004

with a bang
just got my AWAD (that's a word of the day) i usually glance at them - expand my vocabulary for the day then delete - but this one really caught my interest. In western realms - there are bells to be rung after the wedded couple leaves the church; in eastern cultures clanging on the glassware is quite common to "force" the couple to kiss or in Chinese Tradition the Lion Dance and fireworks are quite noisy too; more modern phenomena include fireworks & pyrotechnics for evening affairs. Enjoy the AWAD!

shivaree (shiv-uh-REE) noun, also chivaree, chivari, charivari

A noisy, mock serenade to a newly married couple, involving the
banging
of kettles, pots and pans.

[From French charivari (din, hullabaloo).]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus:
http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=shivaree

"We refrained from celebrating their marriage with primitive
gestures,
such as a shivaree, even though pots and pans were readily available
for nocturnal banging."
Julie Salamon; Ten for the Honeymoon; The Wall Street Journal (New
York);
Aug 27, 1986.

"Friends tried to subject them to a shivaree, but the joke was on
them.
The bride and groom were nowhere to be found."
Friends For Life; Capital-Journal (Topeka, Kansas); Mar 21, 2004.