Town Appignano del Tronto Crafts and lore
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LIFE CYCLES Birth A pregnant woman is surrounded by infinite care, each of her wishes are solicitously met. It is a widely-held belief that her cravings (“li vogghie”) are stimulated by the foetus and, if not met, put her at serious risk of abortion. Is for some reason the food, early season fruit or vegetable, or the desired object cannot be got by family members, the pregnant woman has to "turn her wedding ring" or "touch the ground with her hand" to prevent any damage. Not performing this act and touching a part of the body instead, would put the foetus in the condition of being born with the shape or colour of the desired object imprinted in the same part of the body as touched by the mother. Will it be a boy or a girl? If the woman has a round belly it will be a girl. If her belly is protuberant, almost pointed, it will be a boy. If the infant is male, the anxious wait for the firstborn to come into the world ends in celebration, with succulent slices of cured ham being offered to all those who come to offer their best wishes to the mother and newborn. If a girl is born visitors must make do with modest "crispelle" (a type of sweet fried pancake). What’s more, if it is a girl, sooner or late the puerperant will see the symbolic gift of a basin arrive, a clear allusion to the typically female chores that await the newborn in future. Going to visit the new mother it is common to take a hen as a gift because of the widespread conviction that a good broth helps the breast-feeding mother to produce more milk. Baptism The baby was baptised the same day it was born or the day after and within a week at the latest. It was the privilege of the midwife (“la mammina”) to carry the infant to the baptismal font. If it was a boy tradition required she support his head on her right arm; if it was a girl, on her left arm. In the church, where the little procession could not cross the hall before the ritual started, the parents were accompanied by the godfather, the godmother and a few other guests. The mother did not take part. It was the midwife who took the newly-baptized infant, covered in ribbons, in her arms. At the front door she would say to the mother who was standing as still as a statue, "You have given him to me a pagan, I will return him to you a Christian” and the mother would reply, "It is God’s will”. The gay little procession set off towards the church. After, returning to the house and the waiting mother, the midwife would say, "You gave him to me a pagan, I return him to you a Christian" and the mother would reply, "God bless him." The old custom of readmitting the new mother “in sacris” with a special blessing from the priest at the entrance to the church and in front of the altar has now completely disappeared: it was the biblical rite of purification which popular belief interpreted as the removal of the impurity contracted by pregnant women. Growing up To help the baby grow and to protect him against "witches" it was common to sew the so-called “breve” (a little fabric bag containing yeast and grains of kitchen salt) to the clothing of the newborn, or various amulets consisting of gold or coral horns, or little medallions carrying the images of saints or a bow of badger hair. When it was time to "change" the baby, his legs and arms were wetted with mulled wine before the thick binding was put on, because it was believed that the baby would grow more robust. When their children were almost three years old many parents took them to the shrine of the “Virgin of Campolungo” to "sign the fly”, a superstitious belief consisting in a kind of spell that would cause the disappearance of the “fly” from children’s faces. The fly was that pale blue transparency of the blood vein that forms at the root of the nose and which eventually disappears by itself. In the past decades, when child mortality was very high the mother who had had the misfortune of losing her child, would scrupulously refrain from using needles, scissors or knives in carrying out the household chores on December 28th, the Feast of the Innocents, fearful that she might cut or pierce the body of the innocent soul Engagement In the past there was no “voluntary” engagement because it was all organized by the parents. Both sides sought ways to make their assets grow. A marriage contract was drawn up by the notary, with detailed clauses on the dowry and methods of payment. Only after the Council of Trent did it become obligatory for parish priests to register marriages celebrated in the parish. On moonlit summer evenings, when families were already in bed, the young man concerned would join up with others and they would go to play and sing under his girl’s window. If the message met with the girl’s approval and that of her parents, first the windows lit up, then the doors were thrown wide open and the players were welcomed into the house and given refreshment. After a period of engagement, which was usually of short duration, the groom’s relatives went to the bride’s house eight days eight days before the wedding day to dress her with gold. With this rite, which was a gift to the bride of a gold chain and earrings and a coral necklace, they gave their official consent to the wedding. The wedding A few days before the wedding, relatives and friends were invited to the respective houses of the bride and groom to admire their trousseau and gifts, which were on display for them to see. On the day of the wedding guests gathered at the bride's house from which the wedding party set off following specific rules. The bride, dressed in white, with a long trailing veil, a crown of orange blossoms on her head and a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hand, opened the procession on the arm of her father or brother. The husband waited at the church. Once the wedding had been celebrated, the procession regrouped for the return journey: first the husband and wife arm in arm, then the best man and then the others. In the old days, friends and family organized the so-called "Fratta" along the way: the procession made a stop to eat sweets, liquor and mulled wine. When the bride reached the groom’s house, the "vergara" was waiting in the doorway to give the daughter-in-law a blessed olive branch, accompanied by these words: "Here is an olive palm for you, bring peace to my home”. If the marriage was between older people or widows, the religious rite was celebrated in the hours of the evening and once the sun had gone down the young people of the village indulged themselves in a noisy ringing of bells. To prevent the prolongation of noise, the groom had no other alternative than to offer food and wine. Mourning The mystery of the death was accompanied by many customs. The agony of a person was announced to the villagers by the melancholy tolling of the bell known as the agony: 13 tolls for a man, 12 for a woman and continuous for a child. Once the person died, the corpse was washed and dressed: if it was a young unmarried woman, she was dressed in white, with a veil and a crown of orange blossoms on her head, if it was a child it too was dressed in white, with a crown of flowers on its head and its feet left bare. A crown of rosary beads was woven between the hands of adults and on their breast was placed a wooden crucifix. The funeral bed was strewn with flower petals. At the precise moment of death family members rushed to open the windows of the room in which the deceased had died to facilitate the "transit" of the soul to heaven. In the room in which the corpse was displayed four candelabra with lit candles were placed and any mirrors were covered. The funeral watch continued with recitations of rosaries and litanies until the funeral took place. Nowadays the coffin is accompanied to the cemetery, but before 1877 it was taken to the charnel pits in the church. Women remained in the house for 8 days for mourning. Once they had sewn their mourning clothes they went out for the first time to go to the funeral mass of suffrage in the church. The men did not shave for days and decorated their jacket for mourning. Mourning lasted at least a year following the death of a parent, a son or daughter, adult brother or sister. Daughters generally continued to wear mourning until their marriage and mothers and widows for the rest of their lives.Bibliography
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