Purchasing of Rings

Title: Purchasing of Rings

General Information about Item:

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: In Italy it is taboo to purchase the ceremonial wedding and engagement rings simultaneously.

Item:

Media File:

Transcript of Associated File:

Informant: “You can’t buy the ring – the wedding ring at the same time uh when you buy, for example, the uh engagement ring.
Collector: “You need to buy both at the same time?”
Informant: “Not – both at the same time. You can’t!”

Informant’s Comments:

This concept is widespread throughout Italy, rather than localized to specific regions.

Collector’s Comments:

This practice is followed so as to prevent that the wedding be jinxed- to prevent that the premature purchase of a wedding ring along with an engagement ring bring bad luck upon the wedding. As such, this practice is an example of magic following the logic of doing A brings upon bad B (A = simultaneously purchasing an engagement and wedding ring; B = a failed or unhappy union).

Collector’s Name: Isabella Florissi

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive