The French-Canadian Trough Dance by Albany NY DJ Kenny Casanova
In an earlier article, I discussed how the tradition of the French-Canadian Ugly sock dance (click here to read) was making a comeback and beginning to flourish once again, throughout Ontario Canada and other French-speaking parts of the country.
Subsequently, this odd sock dance tradition that punishes single siblings for not already being married has bled some into the states. Today, brides and grooms in the Capital Region and specifically Albany and Saratoga Springs, NY who come from our northern neighbors have been working the custom into their wedding planning. Now, another odd Canadian tradition related to the Ugly Wedding Sock Dance is making its way into our wedding halls. This one is called “The Hog Trough Dance.”
The overall philosophy behind The Trough Dance is still the same as the Sock Dance; to punish an unmarried older sibling at a younger sibling’s wedding reception by making them dance in a ridiculous manner for not being married yet. Hoever in the Hog Trough Dance, the sibling dances barefoot in a pig trough or a wash basin, sometimes full of liquid. The idea is that if you are older and still not married, you need to be thrown into the spotlight and peer pressured into tying the knot soon, to avoid the public ridicule at your next brother or sister’s wedding. Because you are not already married, you are indangering the passing down of the family name, and this is punishable by mud.
From my research, I found Ethnologist Jean-Claude Dupont of New Brunswick , showing the earliest written description of the trough dance. He said that, “a musician would play a tune and the single sister had to dance in the muddy pig trough, which had been brought inside special for the event.”
Dupont went on to explain that if the sibling were a male, things would be even worse in a French-Canadian Hog Trough Dance. When it was a bachelor who was being punished for not marrying before his younger sibling, “the brother would actually be made to eat out of the same trough!”
The tradition also sometimes involved dancing in and around a trough filled with food that would be sampled after the dance. Sometimes, a variation with a basin filled with alcohol, a mixture of beer, and hard liquor that the dancer must also drink after the dance.
I have learned that updated variations to this tradition that has evolved some in recent years. Early on, legitimate dirty old troughs pulled right off the farm complete with mud, steaming fresh pig droppings (or worse) were in fact used for the dance, in the most extreme cruel and unusual forms of this wedding torture tradition.
You can bet that feet covered in pig droppings would have left some really lasting impressions on guests sitting near the dancer’s piggies after the festivities. This is all the reason more to make sure that you are married before your younger sister.
However, in today’s more politically correct version of The Dreaded French-Canadian Trough Dance, we see a more forgiving version. People spend a lot of money on clothing on the big special day, and not many people will want to cooperate in such a dance knowing that they will get ridiculously dirty. Another issue, is many halls do not want confetti getting around, let alone pig $#!t, so you can imagine what their responses may be to this type of custom.
With the loosening of family constraints, we now see relatives pushing victims into the Trough Dance in a clean trough purchased just for the occasion.
French-Canadian Wedding Sock Dance Custom by Albany NY DJ Kenny Casanova, a highly-demanded disc jockey from www.TheDJservice.com .
I learned something over the weekend at a wedding reception that had an Irish-American bride marrying a French-Canadian groom. While weddings in Canada are very similar to those here in America, there are some very different French Canadian weddings customs that occur just north of us. I realized this when I looked out to the dance floor to see the groom’s older sister hiking up her dress and dancing with the ugliest socks on I ever did see! Looking at a pair of feather adorned rainbow socks with sparkles and fully-woven separated toes, this prompted me to do a little research on the nuptials of our northern neighbors.
Canadian wedding customs are all about a warm and friendly get together with friends and family, despite sometimes cold northern temperatures. Because Canada is an immigrant country by nature, the mixing of English and French wedding customs with the traditions of many other cultures is common. For the most part, a great deal of French Canadian wedding celebrations is very similar to what you would see in the United States. There are, however, a few differences.
In parts of Quebec, where the main language spoken is French, for the ceremony, the groom isn’t kept away from seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle. It is customary, rather for the groom and his friends and family to meet the bride at her home on the big day. The new couple then drives to ceremony with the bride’s parents. A large procession of cars, much like you see in the states at a funeral, move together, decorated for the wedding celebration to come. The line of cars is not calm and reserved, however. In a parade-like tour through the entire town, the people in the cars honk their horns and yell good wishes out to town’s people. After the drive, the entire wedding assembly enters the church together.
At the reception, we see an introduction and a toast, before a nice dinner. After everyone eats, the dancing begins. There is one French-Canadian tradition, however, that I saw this weekend that was very new to me. It involved the unmarried brothers and sisters of the bride and groom.
Later on in the wedding reception, apparently, if the groom has older siblings who are still unmarried, they must down elaborately colorful ugly socks, and dance to a special tune. It seems that the the socks symbolize the siblings still having “cold feet” and this is why the younger brother is marrying before them. The sillier the sock dance is however, the better, as the guests respond more favorably to nonsense. Much like the American “Dollar Dance,” the guests throw money at the feet of the sock dancer(s) and the money is then given to the bride and groom, to offset costs and help them in their new home together.
Below is a gallery of pictures from many different Wedding Sock Dances to give you an idea of what it looks like. It’s a beautiful thing. Isn’t it?
To book DJ Kenny Casanova or any of our fine DJ’s at TheDJservice.com for your wedding with an ugly sock dance, call 518-506-3305. We are based out of the Albany, New York area. You can also TEXT us at 518-506-3305 for more information.