Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-10-12
CHARIVARI WANING.
A recent One, However, Led to a
Tragedy.

The ancient custom of charivari, or
shivaree, which still survives in
rural sections of the United States, is
not only brutal one, but it led to a
frightful tragedy near Watonga, Okla,
a few days ago. A charivari party were
serenadinS a bride and groom, Mr.. and
Mrs. Ray Higgins, and making deafen-
ing noises by beating on pans, etc. The
couple appeared upon the porch and
the groom ordered the serenaders to
leave One Of the party pointed his
gun at the young couple and fired.
The brides face and breast were filled
with buckshot, and she died an hour
later. The bridegroom was shot in
the face, but not fatally, and a little
brother Of the bride was also wounded.
The charivari party fed, and so far,
none has been arrested. This outrage
should go far to put an end forever
to custom that long ago should have
become obsolete.
The word charivari, which in local
American usage is frequently corrupted
into chivaree or shivaree, comes from
a French word of uncertain origin,
signifying a mock serenade In
France, particularly in the southern
districts, serenades produced by ket-
ties, frying pans and horns, and &C
companied by shouts and cries, given
under the windows of newly married
couples, or inflicted upon persons who
had made themselves socially or po-
litically unpopular, were a popular
custom, but popular rather among the
givers than the receivers of such
dubious compliments. Such concerts
were styled charivari, and by extern
sion the term is now applied to any
tumultuous discord. The custom is
traceable to a very high antiquity,
and still survives in spots throughout
the French provinces. The same sort
of concert in Germany is called kat
zenmusik (cat's music) and in England
rough music.
The charivari of France was origi-
nally extended to all bridal couples,
but more recently was limited to
widows or widowers who remarked
too hastily to couples in whom an IN
usual disparity of age existed, or to
such other unions as were either
ridiculous or unpopular. Cases of
notorious domestic infelicity or in
fidelity called forth similar express
sions of neighborly disapproval.
In medieval times in many Europ-
can countries a wife who beat her
husband was placed upon a donkey,
with her back to it's head; it's tail was
grasped by the henpecked spouse, and
thus they paraed through the streets,
greeted with shouts and cries and beat
ing of tin pans. Here possibly was
the germ of the charivari.
At the beginning of the seventeenth
century charivaris were forbidden by
the Council of Tours, but
neither church nor state was able to
put an end to the custom.
The French inhabitants of Louisiana
and Canada. ard also the Dutch set
tiers in New York and Pennsylvania
brought the custom to America, and
through them it was pretty generally
distributed over the United States,
where it still retains it's hold on vari-
Gus rural communities under the name
Of shivaree.
The hideous aggregation Of sounds
that go to make UP a charivari is kept
up until the bridegroom appears and
treats his crowd Of torturers. Should
he delay his appearance too long, or
attempt to wear out the crowd by re-
fusal to appear, the outside company is
apt to become riotous, and often stones
are hurled through windows, and after
then perhaps dead cats and rotten
eggs.
The firing of blank cartridges is also
considered a fitting accompaniment to
the music of tin pans, horse fiddles
and horns, and the fatal ending of the
recent case in Oklahoma was probably
due to this idea, for murder could
hardly have been intended. But the
fool with a gun that he does not be-
lieve to be loaded is very common
and dangerous kind of fool. Asylums
should be set apart for such fools.
1t is high time, indeed, that the
communities in which the charivari
still exists should take stringent
measures to stamp out this idiotic
survival of mi-barbarous times. That
it still does survive in certain COM
munities only points to a lack OF civ
ilization and progress in such sec
tons, though, indeed, the custom
breaks out in unexpected spots at
times.-St. Louis Republic.