This month me and my family attended a wedding in a village in the heart of the province of Sassari. I took the chance to describe a bit what is it like to attend a wedding ceremony in Sardinia. I tried not to include pictures where the guest's faces can be seen, for privacy reasons. The only face you can see is the priest's one, but he is a public character after all!
When we arrived at the bride's home, we found a table set up with some light refreshments. In the meanwhile, the bride was being prepared.
At 10.10 the groom came and met the bride. They walked together to the church, while all the guests followed in a sort of procession.
In Sardindia there is a special tradition for weddings. Ceramic plates with rice, grain, sweets and flowers are to be smashed in front of the newlyweds when they exit the church. If the plate doesn't break it's a sign of bad luck. But Sardinian women seem to be well trained to this tradition!
After the must-take pictures, we walked towards the cars, parked some distance away from the church. Sardinian villages often have very narrow alleys who are a driver's nightmare! Also, it is a good tradition for the newlyweds to take a stroll along the alleys to be cheered at by the public and those who are happy for them, even though they are not close enough to get an invitation. Ha-ha!
Once in the cars, the newlyweds lead the other guests to the restaurant where the big lunch will be held. This time the restaurant was some 40 Kilometers away from the church where they got married!
All the cars in the parade have to keep honking the car horn all the way through. Discreet people, that's what we are!
The restaurant is called "Saccargia" and takes its name from the Basilica situated close by. The church, called "Santissima Trinità di Saccargia", is one of the finest monuments in Sardinia, and one of its most famous churches. The restaurant is on top of a hill overlooking the church. It was a wonderful day and it offered perfect conditions for taking photographs!
I took this pictures while waiting for all the guests to arrive. Once the restaurant doors were open, it was time to form a line to greet the newlyweds and wish them happyness. Also this was the time for those who chose to give money as present, to give the couple the precious envelopes. We were then free to take our seats for lunch.
When we reached the tables, these were already set with the antipasti. Lunch started at 13.30 and finished at around 18.00.
Coffe and assorted sweets.
We left just after 6 PM because we were too tired. There were 400 guests so it was very crowded for us. Since we are the bride's close relatives, we received, together with a personalized present, a package of sweets for us to take home. Yummy!
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