Origins: Help with sing around origin

Subject: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: GUEST,Heely
Date: 29 Aug 04 - 04:59 PM

Help! We had a request from an American Magazine for the history behind a sing around tradition that our Sea Chantey group performs. When we sing in a circle and a member has a verse to add they put their beer or mug on their head. This is something that my family tradition has always done to signal for a verse. There is also a tradition that if two singers put beers up at the same time the two throw signals or sign to each other to decide who gets the verse. Do any of you mudcatters know where this tradition came from? If it helps -- my family came to the USA from Wales and Scotland via Australia. Mudcatters of the world --- have you seen this? Heely

Subject: RE: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: GUEST,Heely
Date: 29 Aug 04 - 05:18 PM

Just as an addition, My husband says that they do this with Rugby songs as well. Where -if any - is the tradition? Heely

Subject: RE: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Aug 04 - 08:54 PM

The only 'Beer Mug On Head' tradition I know is the one used in beer racing , where each drinker places his glass/mug bottom up on his head to indicate it is empty and to signal the next drinker to start

Subject: RE: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: GUEST,Heely
Date: 29 Aug 04 - 09:40 PM

Sorry, That is not even on the right track. We are talking about singing while drinking. Not drinking while . . ..well . .. drinking. But thanks for the try. We consider beer racing to be alcohol abuse. We appreciate every sip - even the last. Last year in a beer tent at the Maxville games in Canada the youngsters had the nerve to waste good beer throwing it above the crowd. So much is wasted on the youth. Heely

Subject: RE: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: GUEST,Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Aug 04 - 10:23 PM

For some details of a very similar custom, see thread  Origins: I've been to Bristol...

Similar practices seem to have been commonplace throughout England; no doubt also Wales, Scotland and further afield also.

Subject: RE: Origins: Help with sing around origin
From: GUEST,Heely
Date: 30 Aug 04 - 01:42 PM

No, that is not exactly what I was talking about. leadfingers miss understood. We never have an empty mug. We hold the full mug -upright - over our heads to signal that we have the next verse. I understand the tradition that you are talking about. When I pipe in the whiskey I drink a quaich full and then turn the empty quaich over my head. But this is different. Any one out there? Heely