Title: No Turning Back
General Information About the Item:
- Customary Folklore: Superstition
- English
- Italy
Informant Data:
- Nancy Canepa has been an Italian professor at Dartmouth College since 1989. She is descended from Italian immigrants on her father’s side. Her paternal grandmother is from the Lombardy region of Italy, and her paternal grandfather is from the Liguria coast. She has attended two Italian weddings. Her husband is from the Apulia region of Italy.
Contextual Data:
- Social/Cultural Context: In Italy, once a groom leaves home to go to a church for his wedding ceremony, it is important that he goes straight to the church and does not stop anywhere on his way there. The groom’s best man usually helps to make sure that he arrives at the church on time.
Item:
- Once the groom has left home to go to the wedding ceremony, he cannot return home until after he is married. If he forgets something at home, he has to send one of his friends to get it for him.
Associated File (audio):
Transcript of Associated File:
- “The groom – once he leaves his house to go to church for the wedding, he cannot turn back. And, if he’s forgotten something at home, he has to ask one of his um you know best men or friends whose with him to go back and get whatever it is.”
Informant’s Comments:
- The informant said that this custom is an example of a superstition, that, if violated, would cause bad luck for the newlyweds. Therefore, it is important that the groom has someone with him who can retrieve anything that he forgets.
Collector’s Comments:
- This superstition probably comes from the groom’s anticipation or fear that, by going back home, he might be delayed and be late to the wedding. This superstition is also based on the logic of magic; it follows the logic of “if I do A, some bad effect will happen.” Therefore, the groom would probably fear that going back would jinx the wedding.
Collector’s Name: Peter Loomis
Tags/Keywords:
- Customary Lore, Superstition