Today’s marriage is primarily associated with the rituals of ancient Rome. If you want to bring a bit of Italian culture to your wedding, this is your starting point.
Popular weddings in modern Italy are strictly prohibited. The bride and groom have no opportunity to influence the ceremony. As with many Italian wedding traditions, the reason lies in ancient Roman culture.
Bridal Ceremonies In Ancient Rome
The Preparation
Due to the deeply ingrained traditions and customs of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, weddings were celebrated in a rigorous format. For families in ancient Rome, adhering to this structure is as vital as the legality of Italian wedding services today. Before the wedding, the traditional formalities of the engagement ring are observed, the details of the engagement culture are strictly observed, the right to marriage and the dowry is confirmed, and a contract is signed; This is an old form of the marriage agreement. On the morning of the wedding, as the bride prepares at her parents’ home, her father, two close friends, and the priest celebrating the wedding pay attention to the signs. Before dawn, the animal will be slaughtered, and its internal organs will be “read,” At the start, people will observe if there is a storm in the sky.
The wedding can only continue with suitable signs. And always early in the morning.
The Venue
The first part of the ceremony always takes place at the home of the bride’s parents. The room will be decorated with flowers collected from their garden, and tapestries will be made especially for this occasion for wealthy families.
The Roman house had a large “atrium” or vestibule where the ceremony took place.
The Guests
Although the parents of the bride and groom are present, the bridesmaids’ duties in the ancient bridal tradition meant that ten witnesses and bridesmaids played an important role. The rest of the guests will be friends and family as they are today. A wedding invitation is considered a great honor, so invitations are always accepted, and wedding parties are usually quite an important event. Interestingly, the groom does not have to come. An ancient wedding tradition means that if she does not want to attend, a letter confirming her intention to marry is enough!
The Event
As soon as the bride and groom join the guests in the “atrium”, the artist will begin the wedding, ordering to drive away evil spirits. He will ask the soul of the house to bless, and the soul of fire will bless the couple. Finally, the heart of a new beginning, Janus, will be called to bless the couple’s transformation from single to married. Although modern Italian bridal tradition often stipulates that the father of the bride “hands over” his daughter’s hand to the groom, the duties of bridesmaids in ancient Roman culture granted this privilege to the housewife or “probe.”
This is the focus of the entire ceremony. He joined the couple’s right arms, marking the moment the couple was considered legally married.
The Event
The Exchange of Vows
The only word the bride officially requested was: “Ubi to Gaius, ibi ego Gaia,” which roughly translates to “wherever you go, I, your wife, will also go there.”
The marriage, like the previous engagement, will be officially sealed with a kiss. This is probably the beginning of modern rituals in Italian (and other) bridal culture, which always invites the groom to kiss his new wife. The ancient tradition of Roman jewelry meant that men never wore engagement rings or exchanged rings at weddings. In ancient Rome, the traditional wedding ring consisted of the groom giving his bride an iron ring at the engagement. As with modern Italian wedding traditions, the formalities of the ceremony will follow a complete or limited set of activities that the family wants and can afford. This will happen, as it happens today, in the form of a wedding banquet.
