Wikipedia has an interesting article on the custom of charivari in Europe (and later in North America).  According to the article this was the practice (dating back to the Middle Ages) of people basically banging pots loudly outside the house/room of just married couples.  While I can see how this could be considered a “joke” or “prank” to play on the couple, I can see how it can also get quite mean, and apparently it was used in this way as a form of protesting certain marriages.  The custom was also meant to serve as a form of public humiliation to those in adulterous relationships.What I thought was so interesting was that by the 17th Century there was the threat of excommunication for charivari.  This seems to have resulted from violence that could result from such embarrassment, such as in: