Italian Marriage Traditions & Customs
A wedding is a celebration of love and romance, of two people joining lives and of two families becoming one. Every country and ethnic group has its own cultural traditions that are incorporated in the marriage process. These connections are very important in Italy because of its history of large, close-knit families. Italy is called the land of love and its wedding customs are among the oldest in the world, dating back to ancient Roman ceremonies. The Roman goddess Juno, the guardian of marriage, home, and childbirth made June one of the most popular months for weddings. Juno is the symbol of marriage and fertility.
Like most wedding customs around the world, Italian has pre-wedding or engagement customs. The families of the bride and groom usually orchestrated Italian wedding engagements. Lineage was very important and if the bride’s father had any doubts the entire wedding negotiations would be cut off. In some cases, a matchmaker sent a message (masciata) to the prospective bride’s family and if the family found the groom’s proposal acceptable than there would be a marriage. So generally the groom would ask for his bride’s hand in marriage from her father and family.
Also, Italian men often propose through music either by playing a romantic song or serenading her. The song may be a romantic ballad or the lyrics may consist of the proposal itself. Once the couple is engaged, they celebrate by having parties with close family and friends. A traditional engagement custom is the exchanging of the rings. Diamond engagement rings have been popular with Italian brides since the Middle Ages. Italians have long said that diamonds are created by the flames of love. In medieval Italy, grooms even paid for their brides with precious stones. The engagement rings could be diamond solitaire or a band with diamonds all around it.
Italians give high regards to family and domestic life after marriage. They also believe in good...