Marriage traditions

1st: Regueifas

Regueifas were danced around a huge corn bread roll, which the bride carried on her head while she was dancing. The purpose of this dance was to share out the bread with all the guests so that nobody was unlucky in the future.

“O Canto do Rosco” was another variety of Regueifa. In this case, the ones to give out the bread were the groom and the best man. They set off towards their neighbour’s houses on the wedding’s eve or after the wedding, at night.

The neighbours who weren’t invited to the wedding “Os Beringes” recited some popular folk songs around the house where the wedding was taking place and they were gifted with some cigars, some wine, cakes and some ring-shaped pastries (called sangaño).

2nd: Cinzarrada

The bride and the groom were in charge to provide entertainment for the wedding but the guests who denied paying for this entertainment were punished with a “cinzarrada”, which lasted eight days.

A cinzarrada consisted of playing a huge cowbell at night in front of the punished people’s houses for a whole week.

3th: The lit candle

In some places, the future bride was the one to leave the parental house first.

She had to head to her mother-in law’s house by carrying a chest with all the trousseau full of gifts and clothes. Her friends accompanied her all the way long by shooting their rifles until she got to her new house.

There she was welcomed by her mother-in–law, who gave her a lit candle. Then, the future bride had to kneel to take it, by paying special attention not to put it out because the lit candle symbolized the sacred fire that enlightened her new life.

Marriage traditions