According to the Daily Mail (not a reliable source!) the weddings cost anywhere up to
150k- cash. They are probably not far off as the dress above, complete with LED lighting in the 20 petticoats, moving butterflies and weighing over 20 stone, (the girls are bandaged around the waist so they don't scar too badly) cost about 50k. Then there are usually about ten bridesmaids dressed similarly, a mini bride aged 7 or 8 in a matching dress , a glass horse drawn carriage, disney land 8 stone cake, lots of chips and beer for the boys etc etc etc. The wedding present would be a new trailer for the happy couple.
The saddest part of the programme was young Margaret, 13, taking on the jobs of her sister who was getting married and leaving her as the oldest girl. Her duties would include getting the children to school, cooking, and cleaning. She was filmed crying as the bride and groom had their first dance and crying as she tried to pack the huge wedding dress into a small bag outside her trailer after the wedding. She would be expected to keep the trailer spotless, mop any footprint off the floor instantly and the prospect was overwhelming.
The traveller girls cannot have a boyfriend before marriage at a young age. If they did they risk the whole family being outcast from the shame. To capture their husbands and ensure their future they wear the most revealing outfits possible at any social occaision and dance like Shakira from the age of 5.
Wonderful girls, cared for and protected but owned and ruled by the men.
When they get married they have to practice the zen of cleaning the trailer with total focus.
It is hard to see how this inequality could change without losing the traditional family
values along the way.
It is Chinese new year today so the school children were asked to wear something red as an emblem of joy, happiness, virtue, truth and sincerity.
It is the year of the Rabbit.People born in the year of the Rabbit are supposedly kind and loving and dislike any hostility. Ireland's President, Mary McAleese, was born in a previous year of the Rabbit.
Happy New Year!
Xin nian hao in Mandarin.
Kung hey fat cho (“wishing you prosperity”) in Cantonese
No comments:
Post a Comment