Interesting Scottish Wedding Traditions

My good friend and
great musician,
Marc Gunn

The first several months of the year, many brides are making plans for their upcoming weddings in the summer months. In the last post, I shared some traditions about Irish weddings, courtesy of my friend, Reverend David Beronio. You’ll find more traditions at his website.

Here’s what he shares about Scottish weddings:

The groom and his groomsmen often wear Scottish kilts, and traditionally, there are no undergarments worn! (Here's the classic joke, “What does a Scotsman wear beneath his kilt?” Answer: “His shoes!”). The groom may present the bride with an engraved silver teaspoon on their wedding day to symbolize that they will never go hungry. And the traditional sword dance is sometimes performed at their wedding reception. 

Here’s more information about Scottish traditions from the liner notes of my CD, “Haste to the Wedding” (Copyright©2005 Anne Roos):

In traditional Scottish weddings, the groom wears the kilt of his clan, and after the vows have been exchanged, he places a shawl or sash of his clan’s tartan over the shoulders of his bride. This signifies the acceptance and protection of her in the goom’s family clan.

In Scotland, shortbread has been used in wedding celebrations for centuries. An uncut round of shortbread has been broken over the bride’s head at her wedding, showering her with blessings. A safer way to include them would be to wrap individual slices of shortbread in cellophane, tied with neat bows, and provide them as favors at the reception. Either way, including shortbread in the wedding celebration is said to bring good luck and prosperity to all those who partake. (a great recipe for ginger shortbread is found within the pages of my “Haste to the Wedding” liner notes).

“My wife’s a winsome wee thing,

She is a handsome wee thing, 

She is a bonnie wee thing,

This sweet wee wife o’ mine.”

--Robert Burns

Have your own Scottish wedding traditions to add? Feel free to comment....Next time: More Celtic wedding traditions.

Interesting Irish Wedding Traditions

The first several months of the year, many brides are making plans for their upcoming weddings in the summer months. If you are planning an Irish wedding, here are a few traditions you might like to include, courtesy of my friend, Reverend David Beronio. You’ll find more traditions at his website.

In the early 1900's, an Irish couple would walk to church together on their Wedding Day. If the people of their parish approved their union they would throw rice, pots, pans, brushes and other household items at the couple as they approached their church. Today, "hen parties" (Bridal Showers) have replaced this practice. 

Some Irish people wear a "claddagh" ring for a wedding ring. A master goldsmith, Richard Joyce, created this ring 400 years ago in a fishing village called Claddagh, which  overlooks Galway Bay. The claddagh symbolizes love, loyalty, and friendship. On the right hand, with the heart facing inward, it means the wearer's heart is unoccupied. Facing outwards reveals love is being considered. When worn on the left hand facing outward, it signifies that the wearer is seriously committed or married. 

At some Irish wedding receptions, the Groom is lifted in a chair ("jaunting car") to celebrate that he is a married man. For good luck, the newlyweds are given a horseshoe to display in their home in the upward position. A traditional Irish wedding cake is a fruitcake covered with icing. Traditional Irish toasts, in addition to remarks from the Best Man, are very popular.

Irish Marriage Blessing

May God be with you and bless you;

May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings,

May you know nothing but happiness.

From this day forward.

Have your own Irish wedding traditions to add? You are welcome to comment....Next time: Scottish wedding traditions.

The Best Celtic Music for 2010

Marc Gunn of Irish and Celtic Music Podcast has listed his Best Celtic Music of 2010.  The list includes my music with and the following great Celtic artists. You've just got to listen to this show, with some of the best Celtic music you'll ever hear:

Music from Round the House, Albannach, Marc Gunn, Bow Triplets, Merry Wives Of Windsor, The Blarney Rebel Band, Poitin, Locklin Road, Holly Kirby, Battlelegs, Heidi Talbot, Anton Emery, Deep Green Light, Sligo Rags, Ennis, Daphne Quigley-Freund & Tom Bradfish, Tania Opland & Mike Freeman, Oona McOuat & Dream Deep, Gaelic Storm, The Rogues and of course, Anne Roos.

Remember:
Cast your vote for "Craigieburn Wood" from my album from A Light in the Forest. It would be way cool to win the best of the Best Celtic Music of 2010, but can only be done with your votes. Thank you!!!

Anne Roos and Stairway to Heaven on the Celtic Harp

Leave it to Anne Roos to bring us something completely unexpected on the Celtic harp. Both of her two new CDs break from traditional harp tunes and take us to the world of modern popular music.

In “Blue Jeans: Modern Pop on the Celtic Harp,” Anne plays her most requested songs from the 1950s to present. These are the tunes we seem to inherently know and can’t resist singing and humming along with.

The CD is packed with 22 songs originally performed by greats such as Sting, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and James Taylor to name a few.

“Unchained Melody” and “Killing Me Softly” are particularly well-suited for the Celtic harp. For a real treat though, her version of Metalica’s “The Unforgiven” and “I’ll be There,” the song made famous by a young Michael Jackson, may turn up as surprise favorites.

For “Velvet: Timeless Standards on the Solo Harp,” Anne turns her strings to modern classic tunes from Broadway and Hollywood. Hearing how effortlessly they seem to transfer to the Celtic harp serves as a testament to the skill of some of the finest songwriters of this Century… including Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers and Mancini, combined with the skill of Anne Roos herself.

With 25 classics, Anne is on her way to translating the American Songbook to the Celtic harp. And who doesn’t stop in their tracks upon hearing the first chords of “Strangers in the Night,” “When I Fall in Love,” “As Time Goes By” and “That’s Amoré!”

Get a new perspective of Celtic harp music with a listen to “You Belong to Me,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Love is Here to Stay.” Or give yourself a real challenge… try not singing along when you hear Anne play “Moon River.”

Both CDs are available at Anne’s website www.CelticHarpMusic.com.

This is originally posted on Irish Fireside Blog and Podcast

Put on your Blue Jeans & wear some Velvet for the Holidays

Just in time for the holidays, I'm releasing albums that are loaded with your requests. All tracks are solo Celtic harp music, modern popular music you know and love, the songs that my audiences have requested over the past decades (plus a few tracks that may be new to you):

• Blue Jeans: Modern Pop on the Solo Harp
New Recording!

When you hear these songs, you'll think, "I didn't know anyone could  play that on a Celtic harp!" This recording includes classic rock, heavy metal, R&B, country, and even a bit of new age music-Ballads that may bring back memories of school days, long-lost friends and teenage crushes. The lovely packaging features a 16-page booklet that contains fun facts about the 22 tracks on the disc.

• Velvet: Timeless Standards on the Solo Harp
New Recording!

These are the melodies that will bring you back to the days of old movies, Broadway musicals, and television shows, dating from the early 20th Century all the way to the early 1970s. The gorgeous packaging features a 16-page booklet that contains interesting historical background information about the 25 tracks on the disc.

Like all my recordings, these new albums are available for purchase on amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and at your favorite retail store. These albums, and their individual tracks, are also available for download at iTunes. Visit my website at celticharpmusic.com to receive autographed merchandise sent via speedy delivery for the holidays. In coming days, you'll also find discount specials on my CDs in my website store...

And if you are looking for traditional Celtic harp music, I recommend my popular album A Light in the Forest. It's a recording filled with tunes about the woods and the fascinating creatures that dwell within them--fairies, trolls, nymphs, leprechauns, witches, bears, and more. It's packaged inside a 31-page hardcover book describing the folk history and legends of these creatures and the tunes, filled with vintage artwork and whimsical illustrations.