Chiviree

Pair-a-dice farm · Jun 9, 2016

May not be the correct spelling. Fred's post about his 65th anniversary made me remember chiviree. Did any of you get a chiviree when you got married? When my wife and I married we lived on a farm pretty far back in the hills. It was 4 miles to pavement and 30 miles to the nearest grocery store. It was a close knit community and everyone was like family. We had been married about a month and one night about midnight we were awakened by the dog barking followed by a bunch of banging on pots and pans and whooping an hollering. At that time it was still customary to give newlyweds a chiviree. After we got up and dressed there was plenty of midnight snacks, adult beverages and laughter. There was also hill music and singing.
Nowdays that probably wouldn't be a good idea but it was a lot of fun back then. A friend of mine married about a year later and that was the last chiviree that I remember that was in the early 80's.

NY 986 · Jun 9, 2016

I don't remember any older people talking about it and certainly have not witness any in my lifetime. There was an episode of The Waltons where a young couple was chivireed by that community. It looked more like a hazing for the groom versus an impromptu party at least the first part of it.

Gundoctor · Jun 9, 2016

This happen all the time here in Vermont Pre-1960 or about. Once the inter-state was done & all the Flat -Lander moved in it was gone. This state has gone down the tubes. Just look who is running for President from "Vermont". Do I have to say more!!!

TimV · Jun 9, 2016

Been a part of a few similar events, though the usual name around this part of northern NY is a "horning". Usually held the first night the new couple sleeps in their new home, though there's plenty of exceptions depending on circumstances--the night of the wedding is another favorite if the new couple is unwise enough to mention where they'll be staying and it's remote enough to not bother TOO many neighbors. Typically it involves enough noise and commotion (car horns being a favorite, hence the name) to ensure no one within half a mile gets any sleep until the new couple gets up and offers refreshments. Usually taken in good grace, though not everyone seems to find it amusing, and it's not nearly as common now as it was even 10 years ago.

Glen SW Wi · Jun 9, 2016

Some times it happened on the wedding night. Never went to one but heard about them in the past.

hd6gtom · Jun 9, 2016

used to be quite good fun havn't heard of it being done for years.

gab · Jun 9, 2016

I remember going to 3 or 4 in the neighbor hood and one was my brother, cow bells, bells on a wide leather strip, harness maybe, people banging on what ever they could that made noise, fire crackers. Haven't heard or thought about that in years, I couldn't have been over 10 of 12 if that, details a little foggy but people and kids everwhere.

buickanddeere · Jun 9, 2016

(quoted from post at 13:35:20 06/09/16) May not be the correct spelling. Fred's post about his 65th anniversary made me remember chiviree. Did any of you get a chiviree when you got married? When my wife and I married we lived on a farm pretty far back in the hills. It was 4 miles to pavement and 30 miles to the nearest grocery store. It was a close knit community and everyone was like family. We had been married about a month and one night about midnight we were awakened by the dog barking followed by a bunch of banging on pots and pans and whooping an hollering. At that time it was still customary to give newlyweds a chiviree. After we got up and dressed there was plenty of midnight snacks, adult beverages and laughter. There was also hill music and singing.
Nowdays that probably wouldn't be a good idea but it was a lot of fun back then. A friend of mine married about a year later and that was the last chiviree that I remember that was in the early 80's.

1975 or so would be the last .
English is Chiverie and French is Charivari .

Pair-a-dice farm · Jun 9, 2016

They were a lot of fun. Good clean, goodnatured fun. Now the farm has a state highway running by it. most of the other farms have been divided up and turned into hunting retreats for weekend citiots. If someone were to have a chiviree the police would probably be called and there would be citations issued for disturbing the peace. Since we are a dry county we would probably be cited for possession.

Moonlite37 · Jun 9, 2016

In the 1950's it was expected thing but became less popular. Havn't heard of one for over 25 years. There were a couple different kind. The most popular was making a lot of noise and the other was unexpected visitors arrive and just talk to irritate the newly weds. Arrive about bedtime and stay for several hours.

Tom in TN · Jun 9, 2016

Pair-a-dice,

One of my all time favorite movies is a Hallmark Presentation entitled "O! Pioneer". They have a chiviree in the movie. Until reading your post today, that's the only time I've ever heard of one. Sounds like fun.

Tom in TN

brutus49DC · Jun 9, 2016

My grandpa talked about them. About the only thing we did was to take all of the labels off of the cans in their cupboard (which made for some interesting meals) and put corn flakes in their bed.

Goose · Jun 9, 2016

I remember them from when I was a kid. Haven't heard of one since I was a teenager.

I believe the correct spelling was "charivarie", as someone else said.

01gentdc · Jun 9, 2016

yes we got one in 1978,.. come into our place making all kinds of racket ,, dianna lookt out the trailer window , and said

'it is your stupid fiends and they are gonna try to keep us up all nite" 2 of them stupid friends were her brothers ,LOL,/ well just as well get your clothes on and go visit with them ,. truth be known , I needed a break anyway.. they put crumbled crakers in the bed ,,hid my keys , vaselined half the door knobs and put brix between the box springs in the mattress ,.they brought some more homemade wine and made us play cards til 1 am .,,. and then I run them all off,,. next day couldn't find my keys ,, and when I did nuthin would start until I hooked up the battery cables ,,..durned rascals

Michael Soldan · Jun 9, 2016

I've been at Chivarees where the men were firing off shotguns in the air,women banging pots and pans together , horn honking,whistles,
firecrackers..but then the women brought lunch and the men had beer and a bottle or two of whiskey,there was fun and laughter, then the women
put together the best lunch, sandwiches, home made pickles, tarts and pie and cake...it was a community event, the kids even were there, and
yeah we waited til almost midnight,met at someone's house and drove slowly to the site with the car lights off..fun times

Gundoctor · Jun 9, 2016

Just go here to read about it. Also the spelling???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charivari

This came down from Canada.
Dave

Bruce from Can. · Jun 9, 2016

I went along as a kid to a couple , but it was all over by the time we got married .

MN valley man · Jun 9, 2016

We did one on them back in the 50's for my aunt and uncle's tenth anniversary. We got there about ten in the evening and made a lot of noise and, of course, the house lights went on and my aunt looked out. After a while we starting asking about where my uncle was. He was kind of a prankster and had sneaked out the back of the house, circled around the gathering people, and was banging on an old kettle just like everyone else.

Gambles · Jun 9, 2016

My sister got one a short time after she got married....and that would have been in the late 80s. I got married in the early 90s and I didn't get one.
Course maybe that was because I was living in Texas at the time and they do things a little different down there.

JBDyer · Jun 9, 2016

We did it to my cousin and his wife about 1985, I am in N. Texas, She wan't too happy about it, but everybody else had fun. I was 15 at the time and she was 15 1/2, my cousin was 18 yrs. JBD

oldtanker · Jun 9, 2016

We were given one shorty after we married in Dec 73. I haven't seen one in years.

Rick

mj · Jun 9, 2016

(quoted from post at 11:35:20 06/09/16) ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.

They had them on the Plains east of Colorado Springs well into the '70s - or maybe later that I am unaware of.

showcrop · Jun 9, 2016

(quoted from post at 10:51:01 06/09/16) This happen all the time here in Vermont Pre-1960 or about. Once the inter-state was done & all the Flat -Lander moved in it was gone. This state has gone down the tubes. Just look who is running for President from "Vermont". Do I have to say more!!!

Yeah, the take back Vermont movement fizzled didn't it.

Angle Iron · Jun 9, 2016

They did ours summer of 77, this was in South Dakota, plenty of fun, good bit of booze lasted until sun up. As stated all the cans stripped, crackers or some other crumbs in all the beds. I smoked back them, more than a carton of smokes opened on the counter. I carried them around in a baggy until gone. My wife was from an eastern city and had never heard of this tradition. She was not impressed at first but went along and was a good sport.

NW Ohio Tim · Jun 10, 2016

They were called "bellings" in this area.

I don't remember any of the real events for newlyweds, but it was traditional for big anniversaries of older married couples.

Last one I know of was mom & dad's 45th back in the early 90's. All the O?D neighbors showed up with custom made noisemakers from back in the day.

Two old bachelor brothers who farmed around the corner showed up with a 55 gallon drum and a couple of blacksmith hammers.

Us kids organization used it, so we were prepared with plenty of food and drink. There are still neighbors talking about that party, all these years later.

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