shedevil Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Don't know either shedevil. Just what I was told. Though I came from a working class background, I was fortunate in being provided with clothes year round. But, I'm sure it was tough for a lot of families. Somehow or other they did scrape together the money to buy their kids new clothes at Whitsuntide and in those days boys wore collars and ties and even suits. Girls wore dresses, blouses and skirts - they dressed up. The point I was making in a previous post was that if it were the case that people could afford to buy clothes infrequently, the symbolism of wearing new clothes on Whit Sunday is a strong one. Whit Sunday in the Christian calendar signifies a new life, beginning. Wearing new clothes may have represented this. But, I am not a historian and am only speculating. LOL tHE SECRET WAS TO NEW CLOTHES WE KEPT THEM FOR SUNDAY BEST AND BEING FROM A POOR FAMILY ITS WAS A WAY OF HAVING SOMETHING TO WEAR TO GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL IN LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennyRoyal Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Oh I remember Whit new clothes white. Walks in Endcliffe Park and Church walks. Shame it doesn't seem to happen anymore, but the scouts band and parade always brings a lump to my throat and a tear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nefertari Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 (edited) When I was very young we used to go in to Chapeltown park on Whit Sunday and then in later years when I was in the brownies I used to go with them for the whole thing. For the last few years of the parade of bands we used to stand outside our house and watch them go past coming down from Warren Lane to the park. When I hear a brass band to this day it takes me right back to then and brings a tear to my eye. Edited April 7, 2010 by nefertari typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soft ayperth Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 LOL tHE SECRET WAS TO NEW CLOTHES WE KEPT THEM FOR SUNDAY BEST AND BEING FROM A POOR FAMILY ITS WAS A WAY OF HAVING SOMETHING TO WEAR TO GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL IN LOL Well, that observation shows how times have changed shedevil. I did a search to try and find the origin of wearing new clothes at Whit. One source does mention the "new life" symbolism that I mentioned earlier, though I can't vouch for the accuracy of it: http://www.mossley.net/whitwalks.htm Another site has some very interesting information about customs at Whitsuntide, including dressing up churches, well dressings and morris dancing. Whitsuntide isn't celebrated in North America incidentally, except as a date in the church calendar - Pentecost. http://www.answers.com/topic/whitsun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedevil Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Most things have got lost in time needless to say the whit sunday and the parade to the parks ,all now destined to a bygone age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soft ayperth Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Most things have got lost in time needless to say the whit sunday and the parade to the parks ,all now destined to a bygone age Sadly so, shedevil. Maybe we're better off without this custom though which I copied from one of those web sites: "A child born on Whit Sunday is doomed either to kill or be killed. This fate can be averted by going through a ceremony of a mock funeral of the child, or alternatively by squashing an insect in the child's hand." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlynnSheldon Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 For poor families it also had a practical purpose, being the one time in the year when they could scrape together the money to buy the clothes. Buying clothes year round wasn't always possible. Wasn't so much WHEN they could scrape the money together but was as much to do with pride as anything else. We all went short so that the money could be raised because everyone was on show so to speak, and even the poor, they have their pride. I remember one Whitsun we were allowed to go off for a walk and we went up Whitley lane and we laid down on the side of the road to drink from the stream and we got melted tar on our new clothes. I got a good hiding for that cos I was the eldest. They were still the good old days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedevil Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Sadly so, shedevil. Maybe we're better off without this custom though which I copied from one of those web sites: "A child born on Whit Sunday is doomed either to kill or be killed. This fate can be averted by going through a ceremony of a mock funeral of the child, or alternatively by squashing an insect in the child's hand." ehhhhhhh are you on planet zog geeeeeeez whitsuntide was the start of spring a new begining what are you thinking it is chucky reborn good god lolol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedevil Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 We actualy walked to the park with pride in our step not a chainsaw and a look alike freddy krugger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soft ayperth Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 (edited) ehhhhhhh are you on planet zog geeeeeeez whitsuntide was the start of spring a new begining what are you thinking it is chucky reborn good god lolol I copied it from a web site on English folklore shedevil. It's not my thinking. Here it is again. http://www.answers.com/topic/whitsun Just trying to lighten things up. Have a good day. Edited April 8, 2010 by soft ayperth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now