Locations: Calabria and Sicily, Italy
Dates: Wedding - 12 October 1933
Birth - 11 November 1933
CALABRIA
On Thursday, 12 October 1933, as bride Cuncia (Concetta Maria Trimboli) was walking down the church aisle in Siderno, she could feel the coin her mother, Angela Galea, had placed in her right shoe for good luck. The silver two-lire coin was pressing against the sole of her foot, leaving an imprint of King Umberto on her skin. However, the discomfort was soon overshadowed by a flurry of other thoughts mixed with a swirl of emotions: joy, excitement and a tinge of nervousness about the unknown. But overall, she had faith that God had answered her prayers and the groom - Sarvu (Salvatore Francesco Moschilla) – would be a good and kind man.
As husband and wife, the couple, at last, had their first opportunity to spend time alone without chaperones. Unlocking the front door to their newly built cottage, Cuncia followed her mother’s superstitious advice and stepped over the threshold, leading with her right foot ‘pammu u camini supa i sordi.’ With the coin still in her shoe, she entered her home and started married life with the good fortune of walking on top of money - representing hope for overcoming poverty. When Cuncia and Sarvu reached the bedroom, they discovered a romantic marital bed decorated with sugar-coated almonds, thoughtfully arranged in the shape of a love heart. In addition, small gifts of lire notes and coins were scattered over the bed and hidden between the sheets, placed there by the women who had prepared the ‘Primu Lettu’ décor. (See previous entry for details)
Dictated by a commonly practised tradition, Cuncia and Sarvu spent the next eight days in seclusion, confined to their cottage. They didn’t visit anyone, nor did they receive any visitors; their privacy was respected by everyone. This custom could almost be likened to a "honeymoon period," but in reality the restrictions only applied to a wife. The husband, if he wanted, was free to come and go as he pleased. We will never know what Sarvu chose to do, but maybe an old, popular ‘barzelletta’ (funny story or joke) provides a hint:
Che bellu u maritari
Per nu ghiornu, pe dui e pe tri.
Poi, mi manca ogghiu e u sali…
E che bruttu u maritari.
Translation:
How beautiful marriage is
For one day, for two and for three.
Then, I’ve run out of oil and salt…
How awful marriage is.
The rhyming poem states how ideal marriage is for the first three days, until the bliss is interrupted by a wife who nags about the need to replenish basic food essentials - the mundane and practical realities of married life become evident after just a few days! ‘Barzellette’, such as the one above, were shared orally from one generation to the next; they were catchy, easy to memorise and fun to recite - and cleverly reflected elements of truth.
To mark the end of Cuncia and Sarvu’s period of isolation, a few significant practices took place on the final day. In the morning, Cuncia removed the ‘Primu Lettu’ bed linen and completely remade the bed with fresh, new ‘biancheria’ - logically referred to as ‘Secundu Lettu’ (Second Bed). The pillowcases, sheets and bedspread were all homemade and handcrafted, and had been stored in her glory box to be used specifically for this occasion. Cuncia made sure her bed was immaculate and well presented, knowing that female guests visiting her home later that afternoon would expect an invitation to view the bedroom. She could almost predict their admiration for the silk bedspread with its lush, crimson colour and their compliments upon noticing the intricate hand embroidered "T C" monogram of her initials on the sheets.
With the house clean and tidy, Cuncia and Sarvu left the cottage together, both wearing their finest clothing to attend their first public event as wife and husband – mass at the Catholic church. The eight day, post-marriage seclusion ritual for the couple was over.
As Concetta and Salvatore were adjusting to the first few weeks of married life …
SICILY
In Sicily, a heavily pregnant Basilia Pintabona was sensing her sixth child, with husband Giuseppe Casella, would soon be arriving. On Saturday, 11 November 1933, they welcomed a baby boy. Their son was born on a date with religious significance: the remembrance and celebration of Saint Martin - so they named him Martino.
The birth of Martino Casella sets into motion the eventual connection between these Sicilian and Calabrese families. In the future, he is destined to become Cuncia and Sarvu’s son-in-law.
EXTRA INFORMATION 1
Cuncia kept the two-lire coin as a treasured wedding memento for 68 years. In 2002, a couple of months before she passed away, she handed the coin to her eldest daughter for safekeeping, explaining its sentimental value.
EXTRA INFORMATION 2
The tradition of home confinement after a wedding ceremony ended in 1933 with Cuncia and Sarvu. Future female descendants from their lineage did not continue this practice.
EXTRA INFORMATION 3
The silkworms bred by Cuncia’s mother, Angela Galea, spun silk fibres that were naturally golden-yellow. For other colours, silk was taken to a local woman who specialised in dyeing. The quality of the finished product is evident, as the lush, rich crimson colour of the bedspread remains perfectly preserved even after more than 90 years.
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