Entry 17: 1933 - A Moschilla/Trimboli Wedding and a Casella/Pintabona Birth
- Basilia Staltari
- Feb 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Location: Wedding in Calabria
Date: 12 October 1933
Location: Birth in Sicily
Date: 11 November 1933
CALABRIA
On Thursday, 12 October 1933, as bride 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 - 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, Concetta 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 Concetta and Salvatore 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, Concetta and Salvatore 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 Salvatore 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 Concetta and Salvatore’s period of isolation, a few significant practices took place on the final day. In the morning, Concetta 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. Concetta 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, Concetta and Salvatore 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 Concetta and Salvatore’s son-in-law.
EXTRA INFORMATION 1
Concetta 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 silkworms bred by Concetta’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 (pictured above) remains perfectly preserved even after more than 90 years.
EXTRA INFORMATION 3
The tradition of home confinement for a bride and groom after a wedding ceremony ended in 1938 with the marriage of Concetta's youngest sibling, Domenico.
After their wedding ceremony, Domenico and Marietta had a photo taken before going home to begin the seclusion custom, isolating themselves from family and friends. Eight days later, they made their first public appearance as a married couple by attending a church service. A formal photograph was taken to commemorate the occasion, elegantly preserving a Calabrian tradition that is no longer practiced.
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