Yesterday I wrote about a local wedding fair, and at that wedding fair there was a chimney sweep. A very nice man all dressed up in traditional Victorian clothes and a grubby looking face, He also and one of those chimney brush things.
Brush thingy
He informed me as part of his pitch which was full of jokes (which Evie and I both laughed at) that It’s tradition to have a chimney sweep kiss the bride for luck. I was a bit dubious and wondered if this was just a man with a bride fetish so looked it up….
Love this old picture from Bournemouth
And it is very true!! It’s a 200year old tradition that comes from when a chimney sweep saved the life of King George III. Apparently the kings horses were running off and the chimney sweep was the only person (think it was a particular one not the vocation itself) who was brave enough to stop them. (Note: Due to the major lack of selfies at this time there is no picture 😦 sorry). By royal decree the King then made all chimney sweeps good luck bearers and as such they must be treated with respect.
Ever since this people have been inviting the chimney sweeps to come along to the wedding to kiss the bride.
Pucker up!
I have never been to a wedding where they had one however the sweep I spoke to had lots of pictures of weddings he had been to. One of them had him peeking out from beside the church. Looked both fun and scary!!
Sweep dreams (I didn’t actually get his name but I found him on Google!)
Has anyone else had a sweep at their wedding? Did they receive any of the luck they claim to give? Also surely it has to be an actual sweep and not just fancy dress?
It’s made me think about any traditions we might like to have. This will call for a bit more investigation.
Sunny Floral Days 