Italian Wedding: Its Customs, Traditions & Folklores

Italian Weddings are indeed one of the most lavish indulgences! Lengthy celebrations and scrumptious food, all are integral parts of engagement & reception ceremonies in an Italian Wedding. Apart from merry-making, the rich traditions and folklores make Italian Weddings very special! From fixing the wedding ceremony date to choosing the gifts for the newly married couple, every detail is considered to bring good luck or avoid bad luck to the duo. So let us talk about some of these special customs :

• Wedding Dates: Roman Catholicism is the most followed religion in Italy. According to the Roman Catholic Church, no wedding can take place between Ash Wednesday and Easter that is, Lent. May and August are also considered unlucky for weddings. June is the most auspicious month with Sunday being the best for the wedding ceremony.

• Bomboniere: Bomboniere is a wedding favour given by the bride and groom to each guest. Five candy-coated almonds (or confetti) enveloped in tulle and a card with all the wedding details and a small gift of pottery or glass are the inclusions of Bomboniere that represents health, happiness, prosperity, fertility and longevity. Five, being a number that cannot be divided, holds utmost significance as it symbolizes the eternal unity of the couple to be married.

• Luck and Jealous Spirits: A bride is supposed to wear green colour on the day of her wedding to attract good luck. The face of the bride is covered with veil to hide it from all the evil spirits. On the other hand, the groom carries a small iron piece (Toc Ferro) in his pocket to shield himself from mal'occhio (the evil eye).

• The Tarantella: The Tarantella is a traditional form of Italian dance. All the wedding guests perform this dance by gathering in a large circle and moving in a common direction. With the music going faster, all the guests change their direction.

• Cutting the Tie and Veil: Cutting the groom's tie into tiny pieces is a popular Italian Wedding custom. These pieces are sold as mementos to the guests and the money earned belongs to the newly married couple. Also, the groom or the guests tear the veil of the bride to bring good luck to the couple.