Scenes from a wedding :: “Lu matrimonje” in Rapino… Time seemed to have stopped in Rapino, where the reenactment of a wedding ceremony was something far more than a mere performance!

Local extras dressed in 1950’s clothes enlivened Rapino old town centre, where the wedding ceremony was staged. Seventy years ago getting married was an extraordinarily simple ritual, deeply rooted in local humanitarian beliefs. That unconditional faith that people had in a family life without fuss, leaving no room for doubt and rebellion.

“Lu matrimonje”, the story

People used to meet each other often by proxy, an agreement was reached, a contract was drawn and signed by the young couple’s parents. From then on, the newly-wed, sometimes very young, were in charge of everything.

Paesà from the village, and visitors, interacted, eventually gathering in the “piazza” for the wedding banquet, whose tempting smell filled the air of the town.

The event is due for a second edition next August 2017. Not to be missed!

Words and photos by Paola De Pillo.

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