Music & Rituals
Music & Rituals
I have a lot of different cultures within my family. On my mother's side, we are Italian & Hispanic, but we practice more Italian culture on my mother's side. Some of my older family is from Italy but moved to New York as they got older. When my sister got married, there were a lot of Italian traditions that took place at the after-party of the wedding. During the ceremony, it was like your classical wedding as my sister walked down the aisle to your classic "here comes the bride" song.
During the reception, there were many traditions and dances that took place. The dinner part of the reception after-party was filled with all Italian dishes such as finger foods, bruschetta, macaroni & meatballs, cakes, cookies, etc. There were a couple of dances that took place such as “The Money Dance” and “The Tarantella”. Some people may find it rude to have The Money Dance included in their wedding, but when it is a cultural tradition, many people begin to understand it and not find it as rude. The Money Dance is when guests offer the bride and groom money in exchange for a dance with them. At weddings within my family guests, the bride and groom danced to the song “That's Amore” by Dean Martin.
There is also another dance that takes place at an Italian wedding called The Tarantella which is basically a “good luck” dance focused on the bride and groom to wish them good luck in their future life and family. During this dance guests as well as the bride and groom hold hands in a circle and move clockwise with the song, when the music begins to go faster everyone taking part in the dance begins to move counterclockwise. There are many different types of this song, as well as other upbeat songs that are associated with this tradition, but the song used at my sister's wedding was Tarantella Napoletana by Gli Italiani di Leri.
At most Italian weddings, the bride and groom will give gifts to their guests as a gesture of saying thank you, which will consist of things such as sugared almonds. At my sister's wedding they decided as a small gift to their guests to give everyone gifts in food such as biscotti cookies & a thank you note to everyone who came. There are many different things that are associated with an Italian wedding, but these are just a few things that took place at my sister's wedding.
Cool blog post! I am also a part of a large Italian family. I loved reading about the Italian traditions because so many of them my family also practices. The part about the bride and groom giving a gift to the gifts also made me think of a first communion or a confirmation ceramony.
ReplyDeleteHey Amanda - I liked your description of the traditional Italian wedding. Especially where you included information about the dances that they do- I learned something new today. My uncle used to sing That's Amore to me every time I saw him and his wife, it's nice to see it in someone else's life as well!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, It is very nice to learn about the cultures of different weddings. I Have heard the That's Amore song in many movies and Tv shows, but I never knew it had significance to Italian weddings.
ReplyDeleteHi! It is super cool to hear about all the traditions that occur at a traditional Italian weddings. I have never attended one, but after reading this I think it would be super fun! I also think that it is super cool that you have so many songs for different parts of the weddings. I find it really interesting hearing about other people's traditions that their families have.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I found it really interesting to see all the traditions that you celebrate at traditional Italian weddings! I love that you included different dances and types of gifts given!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I’m fascinated with the Italian music and traditions you shared with us. I really liked the “That’s Amore” song by Dean Martin. Listening to this song transported me to Italy. I have not had the opportunity to go to Italy but I hope to do so someday. I love getting to know new cultures and learning from them.
ReplyDeleteHi, Amanda , I love how you found interest in all of these traditions, I find the Italian weeding tradition the most interesting.
ReplyDeleteHello, I found your blog very interesting. I had never heard of the money dance. That is an interesting tradition and I appreciate how true your family was to the tradition.
ReplyDeleteHello Amanda. These blog posts are very interesting. I am intrigued by the various dances and rituals in different nationalities. This looks really fun.
ReplyDelete