The Shivaree
Apparently the word shivaree comes from a French word charivari
which basically means headache. It was usually the single men
and teenaged boys who were involved in the merriment of the shivaree,
playing tricks on the newly married couple. When the wedding celebrations
had finished, and the bride and groom had left the reception,
the people involved in the shivaree would go to where the newly
weds were staying and make very loud noises by banging pots and
pans, ringing cowbells, blowing horns, singing, letting off fire
crackers etc. In some places the groom would then come out and
give the crowd candy so that they would go away. In other places,
however, when the groom appeared, tricks might be played such
as kidnapping the bride or groom, or finding their house in disarray.
In the case of The Waltons shivaree, it was arranged
by Yancy Tucker and Ike Godsey and it was for Olivia's niece Olivia
and her new husband, Bob. Unfortunately Bob was most upset by
the goings on, mostly because he didn't understand the custom.
The song which was sung for the couple as their family and friends
gathered around them was "Let Me Call You Sweetheart".
My thanks go to Brenda and Shirley for providing information
about shivarees.