7 thoughts on “January 20 again!”

  1. “I believe the matchmakers may have introduced some fresh bloods, meaning potential grooms, which the maidens may not have seen urinating against the sides of their hovels all their lives. I think the officious old crones brought together a buncha young folk from neighboring villages (well, mebbe only like, ten miles away, but that was a big trip back then and there, especially in January. ) She’d then hold court, like, y’know, a mixer, and at least a few of the young’uns would couple off.”

    This decidedly did not happen in Ireland. Every older person of Irish ancestry I have known agreed that in the old days in Ireland-meaning, the 1800’s and earlier, marrying outside of your village was a huge, huge scandal. My paternal grandparents both came from county Mayo, but different villages. They met and married in America, but according to my Dad, they would poke fun at their parents and the marital advice their parents back in the old country used to give them: Don’t marry anyone from the next village over! The men don’t work, the women won’t cook, they are horrible people, etc….Given everything I have heard about this, it’s easy to understand how England took over Ireland: the Irish were very very very zenophobic and from what I can tell, not very united as a country.

    My maternal grandparents came from the same village, but he was 25 years older than she was, so their marriage was a scandal too, for different reasons. All four of my grandparents basically just effed off to America, where nobody cared 🙂

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  2. Judy, I love that! No, I don’t associate the matchmaker with Ireland; I think of it more in connection with Eastern Europe, y’know, Fiddler on the Roof territory. But I do find it fascinating that our wedding ceremony still mimics the matchmaker’s court, with a buncha the bride and groom ‘s contemporaries lined up on opposite sides. Happy St. Agnes Eve!

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  4. Dear Best ‘Ettes ‘n’ inimitable ST: Since I now have a precious great-niece named Agnes, this day takes on a slightly different significance for me, as a confirmed bachelorette. Hyp, I so appreciate the lore I’ll be able to share with her; JaC, I always enjoy your sharing from your cache of family history. Thanks for it! ST, your peregrinations always inform and amuse: Happy Landings, wherever’s next!

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