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Many Italian wedding traditions are different than with American weddings which are primarily based on 19th century British Victorian traditions. Italian-Americans have incorporated some of the wider American traditions. Less so in Italy itself where many far older traditions continue to be popular. We see changes in Italy, but not as significantly as with Italian-AMERICaNs. Bridesmaids and best men are part of the British Victorian tradition. In Italy, the couple select witnesses, or testimoni. As is common in other European wedding traditionss, the wedding begins wih the bride's father escorting her down the aisle. And after the wedding, the guests throw rice onto the couple's heads. This was an ancient ritual to wish fertility, but declining for ecological reasons. Italians have centuries if not millenia of wedding traditions to draw upon. Many Italian weddings involve some of these traditions. There are variations, some more popular than others in various regions. Sometimes the bride will not wear gold because it was thought to bring bad luck. Another traditiion is for the groom to carry a small piece of iron, a harbinger of good luck. Sometimes couples walk up to the church altar together. Sometimes the groom provides a bouquet to the bride. Another Italian tradition is to tie a huge ribbon across the chirch entrance. This may be the origins of the phrase 'tying the knot'. We see some weddings in which the women wear folk costumes. The wedding here is a good example (figure 1).
Italian-Americans have incorporated some of the wider American traditions. Less so in Italy itself where many far older traditions continue to be popular. We see changes in Italy, but not as significantly as with Italian-Americans. In Italy, the couple select witnesses, or testimoni. As is common in other European wedding traditionss, the wedding begins wih the bride's father escorting her down the aisle. And after the wedding, the guests throw rice onto the couple's heads. This was an ancient ritual to wish fertility, but declining for ecological reasons. Italians have centuries if not millenia of wedding traditions to draw upon. Many Italian weddings involve some of these traditions. There are variations, some more popular than others in various regions. Sometimes the bride will not wear gold because it was thought to bring bad luck. Another traditiion is for the groom to carry a small piece of iron, a harbinger of good luck. Sometimes couples walk up to the church altar together. Sometimes the groom provides a bouquet to the bride. Another Italian tradition is to tie a huge ribbon across the chirch entrance. This may be the origins of the phrase 'tying the knot'. We see some weddings in which the women wear folk costumes. The wedding here is a good example (figure 1).
An Italian reader tels us that " the traditions for the ring bearer are similar. I remember
being the ring bearer at my mother's younger brother's wedding. The tradition of flower girls was a bit different. In Italy, there were little girls with the bride, but they didn't necessarily carry flowers." We note a post-World War II ceremony. A photo shows Maria Esposito entering the church on her wedding day in Schiavonea, a village in Calabria (1967).
As is traditional, she is accompanied by her father. On the left, you can see the ring bearer, and behind him, a flower girl. On the right, there is a child who is not part of the family. He was probably waiting for candy to be thrown, as was customary. The photo offers a comparison between holiday and everyday clothes. We suspect similar developments taking place in other Western European countrie to varying degrees after World War II.
Many Italian wedding traditions are different than with American weddings which are primarily based on 19th century British Victorian traditions. Bridesmaids and best men are part of the British Victorian tradition. In recent years many of the British traditions are increasinly being incorporated in Italian weddong ceremonies. y.
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