Go big or go home!

The biggest day in any woman’s life will usually be her wedding day or giving birth… I’d go for wedding day but big doesn’t even describe a travellers wedding, they go big or they go home!
So yeah, last night I caught the Channel 4 TV show(YouTube) – My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. I watched the 2nd episode out of 6 and it chronicles the lives of either Roma or Irish ‘travellers’. I put that inverted comas as not all move about /live in caravans but still classify themselves as part of the community known as travellers.
Most people seem to apparently know very little about them hence why most of the people on the show have agreed to go on the show. They have fancy big puffy expensive heavy wedding dresses ( all with highly dubious style sense and colour), live in actual caravans ( some now choose to live in houses), have extremely high morals and well keep to themselves. The highest concentration of travellers is up north around Bolton and Liverpool but there are some in the west of London, which to be honest I was surprised by.
The problem I have with this high morals stuff/ strict rules stuff is that the girls dress like freaking charlatans!!!! I mean sure they are not allowed to be left alone with a boy or her reputation will be ruined, sure they are not allowed to drink before marriage, sure most girls stop school at either 11-16 so that they can help raise their abundant number of siblings and yeah sure once wed the girls ( by choice) will stay at home and be a good wife but c’mon their clothes are wholly inappropriately short!

The ‘culture’ it seems is very 18th century, girls have chaperons when they go out with a man, even ones that are engaged. They girls live by the real ol’ skool rule of being literally passed onto their new husband leaving their families for the first time to go and live within their new home. I mean its daunting for most women and the vast majority are actually aged between 15-19, depending on when they find someone they want to marry. This one couple called Josie and Swanley, 16-19 respectively got married in this second episode. They seemed to love each other which was rather lovely. The earlier they get married the better it is think because they can live out their young girl dream. I did see this one girl who got married at 22( which is considered to be old) she was freaking scared and I think it’s because the reality of her getting married hit her harddddddddddd on the day! I think younger the girl, the less illusion is shattered. I still get a ‘je n’ai sais quoi’ feeling about the lifestyle but its not the culture is not mine. I call it a culture not because I think it is even tho a way of life of culture, Im just saying it to be PC!
I'll keep ya'll posted as I watch the series! There's more stuff to come such as talking about how weddings are like one massive date for the young people, grabbing ( what travellers call their pulling technique.. yep it is literal) and well how people today react to travellers!

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:D