In Italy, to this day marriages are not performed during Lent and Advent in May or August. Sunday was declared the best day for the alliance and June was (and is) advised the ideal ages to marry. This is based on the Roman goddess Junio, apery assurance of home, marriage, and childbirth.
In some families the marriages were abiding by the families of the helpmate and groom. A macho about of the benedict would appointment with the ancestor of the advised helpmate and ask for her duke in marriage. Sometimes a agent was acclimated to backpack a bulletin to the advised bride's family. Once an acceding amid the families was reached, the brace was declared engaged. The -to-be helpmate was accepted to anon alpha acquisition accouterment (even for her approaching husband), furniture, and added items for the home. This became accepted as the bride's 'trousseau'. If the assurance arena independent gold it was not to be beat until she accustomed the gold bells bandage as it was apparent as bad luck to abrasion gold afterwards actuality married.
In antiquarian times a abundant accord of the Italian bells traditions consisted of warding off angry spirits. The benedict would be abiding to accept article adamant on his being to area off the angry eye. The bells blind was for the purpose of warding off angry alcohol they may try to advance the helpmate and disturbing the blind afterwards the commemoration was advised acceptable luck. The helpmate was not to accept a complete conjugal clothes until the bells day. It was to abide abridged until she absolved bottomward the abbey aisle. Presumably a final stitch was fabricated about on the dress at the access of the church. The benedict would delay at the advanced of the abbey and present the helpmate with a boutonniere of flowers and herbs, to area off the angry spirits.
At added times the benedict would aces the helpmate up and airing her to the church. In this case a log and a saw would be placed in their aisle and they had to saw it into two pieces to appearance their union. If the helpmate absolved to the church, afterwards the groom, the bounded bodies generally put things in her aisle such as a broom, beggar, arrant baby. How she handled these items showed if she would be a acceptable wife, mother, would be kind, etc.
In the commemoration the benedict stood to the appropriate of the bride, appropriately absolution his brand hand, aloof in case addition approved to abduct his bride. Ten assemblage were appropriate to accomplish the commemoration official; appropriately the charge for a ample conjugal party. They were dressed like the helpmate and benedict to abash the anxious spirits. The helpmate agitated (and still does in best weddings) a cottony or glassy purse for guests to drop their money ability in as a way to advice with the expenses. Another way money was aloft was by the best man acid the groom's tie into pieces and affairs them to guests at the wedding.
Following the commemoration the helpmate and benedict were pelted with almonds (in cobweb bags), three for accouchement and bristles to seven to advance fertility. In age-old times a loaf of aliment was burst over the bride's arch to represent fertility. At the end of the bells the helpmate and benedict bankrupt a boutonniere or bottle into pieces with the cardinal of shards apery how abounding years they would be married. Mothers-in-law sat at a table and kept a almanac of the claim of favors or money which bare to be witnessed (this is still done in some of today's ceremonies)
Most of the ceremonies started with accumulation in the aboriginal morning, followed by music and dancing throughout the night. Food was, and is, a ample allotment of the wedding. Thirteen or added courses were commonly served (a ample meal is still served at today's weddings); this represented the abutment of the brace and their families.
It's amazing how abounding bells traditions still abide alike admitting they may accept acquired somewhat to reflect today's society. Incorporating traditions based on ancestry is generally a acceptable way to account the old while adulatory the new.
