Kale stalks were used to divine marriage prospects in the We...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1970.251
Original Tape ID
Summary
Kale stalks were used to divine marriage prospects in the West Side of Shetland.
Jimmy Johnson recalls the practice of using kale stalks to divine how large a woman's family might be or what shape her future husband would take. The woman was blindfolded and led to the kaleyard where she tied one of her garters to a kale stalk. It was pulled up and hung above her house door. If she was a newly-married woman, the number of shoots on the side of the stalk forecast the number of children she would have. If she was a single woman, the shape of the kale stalk would give her the "peculiarities and shape of a man". Jimmy isn't sure why the stalk had to be hung over the house door, unless it was "maybe to luck [entice] the man in".
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Sandsting
Island - Shetland Mainland
Village/Place - Reawick
Item Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Sandsting
Island - Shetland Mainland
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good