Spinny: Odd traditions or Rituals at Church

[CoilyFields]

This is a lovely thread OP.

I cover my head for church - very rarely a 'real church lady hat' though, lol. More often a headwrap or mantella (sp?)

Shimmie:

Fascinators:

Thanks!

Oh and I have one of those facinators. Its a headband.

So what about the church candy? Deep down in the bottom of my grandmas purse! It was always the butterscotch or peppermints. Nobody ever had anything good like chocolate lol!

 

[Shimmie]

Thanks!

Oh and I have one of those facinators. Its a headband.

So what about the church candy? Deep down in the bottom of my grandmas purse! It was always the butterscotch or peppermints. Nobody ever had anything good like chocolate lol!

Oh I remember this... This thread is so full of special memories...

My grandmom had 'Life Savers' in her purse, the roll kind. (Now 'we' have other options -- protein bars ) She always had a roll of 'Butter Rum' (in the golden yellow paper) and a roll of 'Pep O' Mint' which came in the dark blue paper and the mints were white with the hole in the middle. I opted for the 'Butter Rum'

Don't judge me.....

It was a little strip of waxed string at the top of a new roll of candy that I loved to pull (she'd let me pull the string) the top of the waxed foil would peel from the top and then we'd fold the wrapper paper over the remaining roll of candy to keep them clean.

I'm having so much fun in this thread....


OOOOoooooooooo, did anyone have a little 'hankie' in their purse? I always had a freshly washed and ironed lace hankie in my little purse for Church. For my birthday, my Nana (Dad's mom) would give me little hankies with my initial 'S' embroidered on it.

I miss those days...

 

[blazingthru]

I would love to see this documentary. It's true to life.

I remember wearing my 'Sunday Best' as a child. My mom started early in the morning with us (I have two younger sisters). We ate breakfast with our hair in curls and in our slips and undergarments. We didn't put our dresses on until 'after' we ate and brushed our teeth. We always wore Jergen's lotion, especially on our faces. I will never forget the 'Almond Cherry' fragrance. I actually love it. (Or Johnson's Baby Lotion and Baby Powder)

Then we sat very carefully on the sofa until Mommie was ready and we left the house spanking clean, crisp ironed dresses and socks to match. It mattered to our parents how we entered the house of God. We dressed to give Jesus our best. Church was always a place of importance.

ETA: My mom wore hats to Church all of her life. I just never picked up on it.

I grew up doing the exact same thing. exactly. WE ate in our slips. I don't even think I had my boobies socks on yet not sure. Same lotion and I hated lotion on my face, Hated it. But, my mom got us ready, and I can't do the same at all. There was five of us. FIVE. (my mom had seven kids and one passed so really eight.) We had a sit down breakfast every Sunday morning. French toast, bacon and eggs, grits or potatoes or pancakes. We ate as a family. Then my dad would leave and we finish getting ready and we waited for Mother and walked to church which was right next door. My mother never wore a hat. She never liked it. Neither have I and I like it. But I'll be honest every single woman that I knew of as a child that wore a hat was not very nice. They had their nose up and I guess that is why I never brought one, but I do like them.

 

[HWAY]

My grandma folded our contribution money inside of our hankies.

I remember being fully dressed with a bathrobe covering our clothes. My mom has photos of us wearing ponchos she'd crocheted that matched our our outfits.

I remember lifesavers and mint candies given to fidgeting children.

Did your choir march in while singing?

 

[blazingthru]

Oh yeah our especially the young choir they have more movement when they marched in and there was all this to do about it , we love it so much we would do it when we got home. Since there was so many kids we had church upstairs. My dad being the minister meant that we had everything, we even did communion. Terrible. My mom would tell us to stop that, we ignored her and continue having church mimicking certain people in the church and their behavior. Some Sometimes I miss some of that old stuff.

 

[blazingthru]

my grandmother was good for candy she always, Always had lemon candy and sometimes she had those orange slices sugar candies, I can't remember the name but those were her favorites you only got one if you were very, very still during service.

 

[sidney]

Peppermints and wrigleys experiment gum because I was snoozing and needed to be kept awake...and for the record I had the white dress socks with the lace on them too.

 

[sidney]

Oh and I had my dollar for the offering plate. If I had the opportunity to be a church mother, I would be wearing that hat! Nobod mentioned the fans and the tambourines...maybe thats just the "country" church....oh and the organ!

 

[Shimmie]

I grew up doing the exact same thing. exactly. WE ate in our slips. I don't even think I had my boobies socks on yet not sure. Same lotion and I hated lotion on my face, Hated it. But, my mom got us ready, and I can't do the same at all. There was five of us. FIVE. (my mom had seven kids and one passed so really eight.)

We had a sit down breakfast every Sunday morning. French toast, bacon and eggs, grits or potatoes or pancakes. We ate as a family. Then my dad would leave and we finish getting ready and we waited for Mother and walked to church which was right next door.

My mother never wore a hat. She never liked it. Neither have I and I like it. But I'll be honest every single woman that I knew of as a child that wore a hat was not very nice. They had their nose up and I guess that is why I never brought one, but I do like them.

Hi Blaz

We had pretty much the same breakfast (eggs, french toast, bacon/sausage, pancakes, etc.).

Often I had 'Cream of Wheat' and it's still one of my very favorites even today. I also love grits and toast.

I have 'evolved' to eating Ezekiel Bread now. Spouted breads are much healthier and taste wonderful when toasted.

As for the hats, I also remember that some of the ladies who wore them would carry an 'attitude'... Hmmmmm :scratchch: More and more memories are evolving from this thread.

 

[Shimmie]

My grandma folded our contribution money inside of our hankies.

I remember being fully dressed with a bathrobe covering our clothes. My mom has photos of us wearing ponchos she'd crocheted that matched our our outfits.

I remember lifesavers and mint candies given to fidgeting children.

Did your choir march in while singing?

HWAY ...

We'd wear a bathrobe over our slips when it was cooler weather and have our breakfast.

My grandmom would place our offering money in a hankie for us I remember that.

More memories...



ETA:

I just fixed a major typo... I had 'bathroom' when it should have been 'bathrobe'

 

[Shimmie]

Peppermints and wrigleys experiment gum because I was snoozing and needed to be kept awake...and for the record I had the white dress socks with the lace on them too.

Oh and I had my dollar for the offering plate. If I had the opportunity to be a church mother, I would be wearing that hat! Nobod mentioned the fans and the tambourines...maybe thats just the "country" church....oh and the organ!

I remember 'Wrigley's Juicy Fruit' gum in the yellow wrapper. We weren't allowed to chew gum when we were younger because somehow it ended up in our hair. *shrugs* .

I remember the fans and most definitely the 'organ'. "Archie" was the name of the organist in my mom's church. He was serious too.

 

[HWAY]

When we visited my grandparents, my cousin would "preach" from the pulpit. We would say amen and "shout." Grandma would catch us and make us stop playing church.

 

[HWAY]

I remember those paper fans from the funeral homes. Why did chilfren always receive bent fans?

 

[Shimmie]

When we visited my grandparents, my cousin would "preach" from the pulpit. We would say amen and "shout." Grandma would catch us and make us stop playing church.

Same here. Back then, it was considered 'mocking' (making fun of) the Church.

Also, we were not allowed to 'dance' on Sunday. It was the Lord's Day and nothing was allowed to disrespect it.

Oh! And when there was an upbeat 'Gospel' song on , we were not allowed to 'snap' our fingers to the rhythm. That was considered disrespectful to the Lord's music.

 

[Shimmie]

I remember those paper fans from the funeral homes. Why did chilfren always receive bent fans?

Cause 'we' (as children) didn't handle them right.


I remember my grandmom (New York) gave me a 'real' fan. The pretty Chinese screen print designs, which opened and closed and had a tassel on the handle. I was totally 'UE' back then.

 

[CoilyFields]

Oh the memories! !!

Marching in...
Playing church ..
Martin Luther King fans...
Church was the only place I saw hankies at...


What about when one of the old mothers all of a sudden belted out a song! Those songs...usually something mentioned about stepping in some water and it being cold lol. The church would just go IN then!

 

[HWAY]

Oh yes! I remember one of the old mothers would hum a tune and the rest of the congregation would join in singing the song.

 

[Shimmie]

Oh the memories! !!

Marching in...
Playing church ..
Martin Luther King fans...
Church was the only place I saw hankies at...


What about when one of the old mothers all of a sudden belted out a song! Those songs...usually something mentioned about stepping in some water and it being cold lol. The church would just go IN then!

Oh yes! I remember one of the old mothers would hum a tune and the rest of the congregation would join in singing the song.

My grandmom (Mom's Mom) would hum, and err' body knew what it was and would join in. Those 'hums' were deep, though. You didn't need words, to know the prayers and worship behind them. You could sense it was a worship or cry unto God.

And the Marches ... I remember in my mom's Church the women in the white uniforms and white gloves would march in with a certain 'rhythm' and they were all in step with each other.

They had one arm behind their back and the other arm was down by their side. It was true to form and no one was out of 'the order'.

"Church Memories" ...

I'm just gonna say it. It may have been 'tradition', but it kept them 'involved' in the Church and it obviously keep us, because we're still here loving and serving Jesus.

It was what our families 'knew' back then and no matter what the tradition, they still knew how to call on God and would run to help whoever had a need. They never hesitated to bring food to families in need; help with housework and babies when a sister had a new baby and needed help. They even got together with new clothes, diapers, and needs for the mother's care (clean sheets, bath linens, etc. ).

All without cell phones and emails, the Church was there for each other no matter what.

I remember fresh baked homemade rolls baking in my grandmom's kitchen. ONLY to see her wrap them up in kitchen linens to take to a neighbor or Church member in need.

She 'did' keep a batch for the oven just for me. I love fresh baked rolls. It's hard making the transition to 'sprout breads' from good old yeast bread.

 

[HWAY]

Church was the center of their community. There was tradition but there was family and a sense of community. Both of my parents smile as they speak of their childhoods and grandparents. I cherish their stories. I remember attending my my dad's family church in SC. I was humbled to see the gravestones of my ancestors and see the names of Daddy's uncles on the windows of that old church. It gave me a sense of connection to my family members.

 

[MissMasala5]

This thread is making me miss my grandmama. I spent summers with her down in the country and her old Baptist church. As a child, I liked my parents' church better than hers because it wasn't as... unpredictable But looking back, I really appreciate the experiences in my grandmama's church. It was definitely more alive, for lack of a better term. Oh, and she didn't give us gum or candies to keep me and the cousins in line. We got the glaring eye! One look and you'd think the whole congregation was also looking you. Embarrassing I would just want to disappear right there on the spot.

 

[Laela]

wow Shimmie, you are taking me back with this.. lol

Every now and again, I do look at our photos of church days, when all us girls wore snockings, dresses with bows to match in our hair..one particular photo always cracks me up, with baby sis wearing an outfit with high ruffled collar, looking like a duke...

OK so I digress...those were great days for me too... lol

OOOOoooooooooo, did anyone have a little 'hankie' in their purse? I always had a freshly washed and ironed lace hankie in my little purse for Church. For my birthday, my Nana (Dad's mom) would give me little hankies with my initial 'S' embroidered on it.

I miss those days...

 

[Shimmie]

Church was the center of their community. There was tradition but there was family and a sense of community. Both of my parents smile as they speak of their childhoods and grandparents. I cherish their stories.

I remember attending my my dad's family church in SC. I was humbled to see the gravestones of my ancestors and see the names of Daddy's uncles on the windows of that old church. It gave me a sense of connection to my family members.

It definitely is the center of their Community. Even as a child I knew it was 'home' and everybody knew who everybody was and they cared.

This is such a good thread. And I have waaayyyyy too many posts in here; more than anyone, especially our OP... This is post 29 in this thread for me. The memories... so precious; they just keep coming up.

 

[Shimmie]

wow Shimmie, you are taking me back with this.. lol

Every now and again, I do look at our photos of church days, when all us girls wore snockings, dresses with bows to match in our hair..one particular photo always cracks me up, with baby sis wearing an outfit with high ruffled collar, looking like a duke...

OK so I digress...those were great days for me too... lol

The high collars...

And the bows in our hair. I remember the huge sashes that tied in the back of our dresses and they had to be ironed and tied straight. We could not have a crooked bow. No indeedie... . The bows could make or break you.

 

[Shimmie]

This thread is making me miss my grandmama. I spent summers with her down in the country and her old Baptist church.

As a child, I liked my parents' church better than hers because it wasn't as... unpredictable But looking back, I really appreciate the experiences in my grandmama's church. It was definitely more alive, for lack of a better term.

Oh, and she didn't give us gum or candies to keep me and the cousins in line. We got the glaring eye! One look and you'd think the whole congregation was also looking you. Embarrassing I would just want to disappear right there on the spot.

I miss my Nana and my 'Mom Mom' too. My grandmoms were the best.

 

[CoilyFields]

This thread is making me miss my grandmama. I spent summers with her down in the country and her old Baptist church. As a child, I liked my parents' church better than hers because it wasn't as... unpredictable But looking back, I really appreciate the experiences in my grandmama's church. It was definitely more alive, for lack of a better term. Oh, and she didn't give us gum or candies to keep me and the cousins in line. We got the glaring eye! One look and you'd think the whole congregation was also looking you. Embarrassing I would just want to disappear right there on the spot.

Thanks to my mother (and Im sure she got it from her mom) I have PERFECTED the Church glare. All I have to do is make eye contact across the church with my baby and she straightens right up! LOL

@Shimmie, you know better than to hold back! Bring on the memories!

Church was/is definately a community. Its one of the reasons why I shy away from mega-churches. Nothing wrong with them...Im just used to a tight-knit community where you can spot a visitor because you pretty much know all the members (by sight if not by name). It makes if feel like family to me.

And Yup! Members take care of one another. There was a lady at my last church whose tradition was to knit baby blankets for all the expectant mothers. There were about 5 of us pregnant at the same time and I really cherish the love with which it was made. Still got them and plan to use them for my next child.

 

[Shimmie]

Thanks to my mother (and Im sure she got it from her mom) I have PERFECTED the Church glare. All I have to do is make eye contact across the church with my baby and she straightens right up! LOL

@Shimmie, you know better than to hold back! Bring on the memories!

Church was/is definately a community. Its one of the reasons why I shy away from mega-churches. Nothing wrong with them...Im just used to a tight-knit community where you can spot a visitor because you pretty much know all the members (by sight if not by name). It makes if feel like family to me.

And Yup! Members take care of one another. There was a lady at my last church whose tradition was to knit baby blankets for all the expectant mothers. There were about 5 of us pregnant at the same time and I really cherish the love with which it was made. Still got them and plan to use them for my next child.

@CoileyFields...

Precious I have 31 posts in your thread... This will be 32. :blush3:

I was thinking of this one this morning:

Remember 'Children's Day'? It was always the week after Father's Day in June or the first part of June each year. All of the girls were dressed in pretty white dresses, white socks, white shoes, white gloves and of course the white ribbons in our hair.

And we each had a Bible verse to recite 'one by one' in front of the Church.

My grandmom would say: Come sweetheart, let me hear your 'Res a ta tion'.

That's how it was pronounced by the entire Church, 'Res a ta tion'.

Now you won't be believe this, but I was very quiet and very shy... I would stand up, repeat my Bible Memory Verse in a low voice and then sit down next to my grandmom, who sat there smiling with tears in her eyes the whole time.

I was such a good and quiet little girl back then...

 

[Pooks]

Oh yeah our especially the young choir they have more movement when they marched in and there was all this to do about it , we love it so much we would do it when we got home. Since there was so many kids we had church upstairs. My dad being the minister meant that we had everything, we even did communion. Terrible. My mom would tell us to stop that, we ignored her and continue having church mimicking certain people in the church and their behavior. Some Sometimes I miss some of that old stuff.

Oh YEEES!!

No pass time is more fun than imitating the old mothers gettin in the spirit, the pastor preaching away and re-enacting entires services as a church kid... Oh those were the days!

 

[Laela]

Open air meetings - church, unplugged in the middle of town, having a wall-less service... churches hardly do this these days. Anyone's church still do those?

My church did have a prayer march through the streets a while back...and that was a powerful experience. But I'd love for us to do this more often...not walking out and about telling people they going to hell on a speedboat... lol.. I mean a nice, service and inviting the world in. Not the time to be a bench/pew warmer.