Charivari

Uncommon card · No. 173819

Charivari (, UK also , US also , alternatively spelled shivaree or chivaree and also called a skimmington) was a European and North American folk custom designed to shame a member of the community, in which a mock parade was staged through the settlement accompanied by a discordant mock serenade. Since the crowd aimed to make as much noise as possible by beating on pots and pans or anything that came to hand, these parades were often referred to as rough music. Parades were of three types. In the first and generally most violent form, an alleged wrongdoer (or wrongdoers) might be dragged from their home or place of work and paraded by force through a community. In the process, the victim was subject to the derision of the crowd and might be pelted, and was frequently dunked at the end of the proceedings. A safer form involved a neighbour of the wrongdoer impersonating the victim while being carried through the streets. The impersonator was not themselves punished, and often cried out or...

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