Title: Plate-Breaking

General Information about Item:

• Homeopathic Magic

• Italian, English

• Italy

Informant Data:

• Gerardo Pisacane is a thirty-year-old male from the south of Italy in the Amalfi Coast, a place near Naples. He lived in Vietri Sul Mare (the first village of the Amalfi coast) from his birth until he turned twenty-three years old. At that point, he moved to Milan for six years and now lives in Hanover. He currently works at Dartmouth as the resident advisor for the Italian language program, exposing American students to Italian language and culture. Coming from the south of Italy, Gerardo has been to many weddings, particularly because he comes from a large family. In December, he even participated in his cousin’s wedding as the best man.

Contextual Data:

• Social/Cultural Context: Before a bride leaves her house to go to church and be married, her neighbors break a ceramic or glass plate filled with flowers, candy, and rice. The process of breaking the plate occurs on the floor near the bride’s feet and represents good luck for the future. The bride then steps over the broken plate and exits the house.

Item:

• A ceramic or glass plate or bowl filled with rice, candy, flowers.

Media File:

Transcript of Associated File:

• Informant: “When the bride goes to the church, okay- before she goes to the church, they (No, sorry), her neighbors uh brokes – break a plate of ceramic, for example, plate or a glass plate uh in front of her so uh – [she has to step over it]: near her foot.”
  Collector: “Why?”
  Informant: “Because um it is a sign of prosperity – prosperity.”
  Collector: “By the amount of broken pieces of glass? So like, the amount of different pieces of glass?”
  Informant: “No- they take a plate, maybe glass or ceramic plate, full of flower, candies, rice, and they breaks – they break the plate (how can I say: a terra vicino ai piedi della sposa?)”
  Collector: “Break the plate on the floor near the wife’s feet. But why is it filled with these things?”
  Informant: “Why? Because it’s uh – it’s good luck for your future and we wish you a lot of luck.”
  Collector: “And is the amount of things on the plate the amount of things you are wishing for the person? If it’s more rice is it more prosperity? So you fill it – you make it really, really, full so that the life will be full?”
  Informant: “Yes!”

Informant’s Comments:

• The informant believes that the amount of items on the plate is indicative of the resulting prosperity of the couple- the more rice and flowers and candy on the plate, the more prosperous the couple will be.

Collector’s Comments:

• This piece of folklore is likely an example of homeopathic magic: Italians believe that just as the plate is bountiful, the lives of the bride and groom will also be plentiful, full of luck, and prosperous. According to Gerardo, this practice is more common in the South of Italy than in the north.

Collector’s Name: Isabella Florissi

Tags/Keywords:

• Material Lore, Homeopathic Magic