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Cortege
on the main avenue after religious services |
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| After
these preliminaries, the wedding day arrived. Around eleven o’clock,
relatives and friends gathered at the home of the groom or bride
(depending on who did the inviting), then the groom (and his entourage)
would go to the bride’s house in order to lead her to church. |
| She
intentionally took her time, but when she finally made her appearance,
she was greeted by applause, shouts of best wishes and a shower
of confetti. At this point, the father (or the brother or the best
man) would take her by the arm and, followed by the train of guests
in double file, set out for the church. There the groom took the
bride by the arm and led her to the altar. Alternatively, the bride,
escorted by two young ladies, went on ahead of everybody with the
bridegroom following. |
| The
priest celebrated a rather brief marriage rite, and, at the proper
moment, the groom would place the wedding ring in a tray for the
blessing (the bride was not obliged to do the same). |
| When
the ceremony was over, the groom’s parents (specifically the
mother-in-law) waited for the daughter-in-law near the holy water
font in order to bless the union; upon exiting from the church,
applause, confetti and fire crackers greeted the newlyweds. |
| The
church service was of very short duration, and immediately afterwards
everyone went back to the bride’s home where her family treated
guests to a wedding dinner. On their way to the bride’s home,
the couple and their entourage of guests took a route that was different
from the earlier one so as to avoid “bad luck.” |
| The
relatives of both families served the food while a concertina player
added some musical cheer. At the end of the meal, the so-called
“covered dish” arrived, containing a surprise for the
newlyweds. Then the guests would gradually start leaving and the
couple’s relatives would straighten up the premises for the
dancing that was to begin a few hours later to the sound of an accordion
and a concertina. |
| The
first to dance were the newlyweds who were entwined and encircled
with a long string of confetti, amid general applause. Then everyone
would join in the dancing, while some relatives went on to set the
table for the next day’s dinner (for the second group of guests). |
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