traditions

[amelia]

Good morning all hope you are all well as there has been a lot of damage done with the winds, saw in the TV the metal roof was off one of the new bridges down at the Clyde.
Anyway it's traditions I am writing about, we were all taking about the Christening Pieces, there is a site all about it but it's from Leith or Edinburgh they put an apple , sweets or orange and give it to the first child they see. They were also talking about throwing the money from the cars at a wedding but they didn't have the name we used.
Was it a "scramble" we had do they still do it or is that a thing of the past as well ?
When my fried and I were speaking about the Christening Pieces to the young girl in chapel the other week she was looking at us as if we had horns
Now this is a thing for you Norrie get your thinking cap on and pen and paper and write about all the old traditions in the Gorbals and get it published but I want "hauffers" of what you make
Has the pages on the site changed or will I have to go to "Specsavers" for a new pair of specs??
Amelia

[DavieGraham]

Was the christening piece also called "A Chittering Piece"?
also
What was "Chittery Winters"? I have a vague recollection that it involved being late (Work/school/any event) on the first working day of the New Year
Davie Graham

[amelia]

Hi Davie welcome to the site haven't seen you on before you'll enjoy it as everyone here is a great bunch of people.
About the christening piece I haven't heard it being called what you said maybe some of the other gang will know better than I and as for the first day at work haven't heard that saying either.
The only thing I know of when you had your fist day at work especially if you were the "message girl" someone would tell or ask you to go to another flat or to another person and ask for a long "staun" (stand) and after you had waited a wee while because you were always frightened to go away they would come back later and say that you had a long enough "staun" stand, so you had to go back to the flat or table you were working at, and some people would laugh.
Hope you come back on again glad to hear from you
Amelia

[Granny911]

Hi Amelia & Davie
Welcome to the site Davie, great hearing from a new voice.
Think I vaguely remember a christening piece being called a chittering piece. Also recall Skittery winters, which I think was the last day on the job before the New Year. Last one into the work got an earful for being late in the way of shouting and jeering. In my sister's factory they all banged the tables and anything else they could make noise with. I remember her panic on that day of the year making sure she wasn't late for work. Amelia I also remember some of the jokes played on new kids on the jobs especially apprentices.
I also remember my Dad's tradition at New Year, we weren't allowed out until someone first footed us, and sometimes that could take ages! One year some people first footed us with nothing in their hands, we never heard the end of that one, he said it brought him the worst luck for the entire year! He instilled that tradition into my kids of never crossing a door at New Year empty handed which they have carried on with to this day.
Cheers, Sheila
P.S. Saw on our news the weather you're getting in Scotland, hope you all stay safe. They just announced here that it's going to minus 20 degrees overnight here, we don't get this kind of weather normally, so if you don't hear from me I'll have turned into an iceberg.

[DannyGill]

Hi Davie
Welcome to the G/A also Hi to Amelia and Shelia.
In regards to "someones first day at work" well mine was a disaster I had left school the previous week at 15 years old and got the job as an apprentice bricklayer with John Dickie and sons. I had to meet the work van at 7 am at the corner of Clyde st and Saltmarket [1963] well having just left school I was too shy to go over and introduce myself to the men standing there also waiting for the van, so the van draws up and all the men climb in and I walk over to climb in the van but the doors closed and I was left there standing on my own, aw naw I felt like greetin. I goes back home and told My Ma what had happened and she phoned up the Boss to tell him what had happened and he said it was his fault as he hadn't told the driver to expect me. Mr Dickie also said tell Danny to come to our Joiners shop for the day and he can spend his first day of work there, so away I goes catching a bus up to Muirend where the Joiners shop was but what a shock I got as I was put to work with an old Joiner who was probably about 60 years old [ancient looking to me but I was always brought up to respect my elders] it was my job to give him pieces of timber when he asked for them but I just could not please that man and he would curse and swear every other word. What a shock for me as I had never heard my Ma and Da swear in my life, well that day seemed like a year and when the hooter sounded that day for work to finish I ran out of that Joiners shop like a Greyhound at Shawfield stadium and I made myself a promise that day that as long as I lived I would not be like that horrible man swearing all the time [and I kept that promise]. Next day it was back to Clyde st/Saltmarket to meet the works van and when I arrived there I immediatly introduced myself to the workmen standing there as there was no way in the world was I going back to that Joiners shop. Oh what a first day at work !!!!!!, I can laugh now but for a fresh faced young lad it was a nightmare. lol
Regards.
Danny