Grampian Club > Scotland, social and domestic

220 Scotland, Social, and Domestic.
The practice of forbearing to marry in May is nearly
universal. " The evil omen of this antimarital month,"
communicates Sheriff Barclay, " is attributed to the fact
of the ill-fated Queen Mary being married to Bothwell
in this month. But there is evidence that the dislike
existed long before her time, and it is to be found in
other countries. A more likely origin is, that it is in
this month the cuckoo deposits her egg in the wren's
nest. Hence the stupid inference of unfaithfulness
being the result of May marriages. The injured
husband is depicted with the horns of the cuckoo, and is
dubbed a cuckold." The fairies claim ascendancy in
May ; the name of the month in several European
languages signifies green, which is their favourite colour.
It is unlucky to have banns proclaimed in one quarter
of the year, and to marry in the next. From the Satur-
day preceding the proclamation of banns — the contract
night — to the Sunday after marriage, the bride and
bridegroom must not attend a wedding or funeral,
otherwise their first-born will break Diana's pales or
never be married. No marriages are celebrated on
Saturday. It is believed that should a marriage be
solemnized on that day, one of the parties will die within
the year, or that the marriage will prove unfruitful.
A voyage undertaken by a bridegroom before marriage
is deemed especially hazardous. A sad event lately
occurred in Shetland, which will no doubt confirm the
superstition. " On Sunday," writes the newspaper re-
porter, " a marriage party left Lunnasting in a fishing-
boat, intending to proceed to Lerwick, at which place
the marriage was to take place. The wind was unfa-
vourable for the party proceeding further than a
harbour in the north of the parish of Tingwall, and