Traditional Wedding On S. Nicolau

The always enthralling account and real uniqueness of the courting and wedding traditions on the island was what most impressed Mr. Ramires: that first spark of love with a pebble that the young man, his heart racing, throws in the direction of the girl he loves, in the hope that she will place it in her purse, thus opening the way for him to write in a letter what he holds in his soul; should the fire of love be kindled between the two, the exchange of the “signal of faith”, an object of value, after which the girl discloses the treasure of her virginity by offering him a closed flower, or, if past fancies have taken her, reveals her shame by delivering a flower already open…

Once this delicate symbolic ritual is over and the flame of passion remains burning, the girl will talk to her mother, telling of her interest in the young man; it is then the turn of the mother to obtain the approval of her father, who, together with her mother, will authorise the girl to communicate the news to three confidants of her future courter. After a jug of good grog, these will then head to the girl’s house to ask her parents for her hand on his behalf.

At this point, in an act of feigned ingenuousness, the parents call the girl to ask her if it was she who permitted the request. Upon delivering a positive reply, more grogue is drunk to seal the engagement, which should last for around a year.

If the engagement opens the two lovers’ hearts, the time has come to get married.

One week before the date arranged to tie the final knot, preparations begin for the important celebration: the corn is husked, the cornmeal is prepared in readiness to stuff the capóde (goat kid) intestines, the paper starlets are made ready; when the time arrives, the butler receives “trays” from the guests (capóde with flowers around their horns, chickens with ribbons around their neck, cakes, etc); the boquera (matron) prepares the told (matrimonial bed), taking care to lay a white sheet.

The party is magnificent, the starlets are placed on everyone’s shoulders, the religious ceremony and wedding releasing waves of joy in all the guests. But the ceremony is not yet over, the greatest suspense being left until the dawn; if the crackling of fireworks is heard, announcing the virginity of the bride, at the same time as the boquera runs out displaying the sheet stained with blood, the mother breaks out in “genuine” sobs of joy, the father orders around of grog for all the guests and the party reaches its culmination, with the couple sent off to start their new life. All wish them happiness, but not before the godparents organise their first meal, known as the “armá caldera”, as a symbol of their commitment and a kind of well-wishing for the self-sustenance of the newlyweds, under the protective wing of their parents and godparents.

If, on the other hand, there is silence at dawn and the groom emerges with his trousers rolled up to his knees, then the boquera will have to exercise her conciliatory talents to secure his understanding and make him forget her pre-conjugal infidelities. Perhaps one could say that she nearly always manages to convince him, unless of course… the girl had “deceived” with the flower she offered him the year before!