TO Olbiathe bride and groom also say goodbye to one of the traditional moments of the wedding in Sardinia: the mayor Seventh Nizzi adopted today an ordinance aimed at protecting public safety, the physical integrity of people and urban decorum. It is therefore prohibited throughout the municipal territory the breaking of the dishes during the performance of wedding functions.
It symbolizes the break with the past, it’s called “Sa ratzia“, i.e. “grace”, the propitiatory rite rich in all the elements that recall abundance, sweetness, well-being: rice, wheat, sweets, raisins, almonds, sugared almonds, coins, confetti or shredded paper, petals and leaves. In use in numerous towns on the island, breaking the plate in front of the bride means wishing the couple a long married life. The ritual is carried out at the end of the ceremony, when the mother of the bride or a close relative throws the contents of the plate towards the bride and groom and the guests, and then throws it forcefully on the ground so that it breaks into a thousand pieces.
“The breaking of the dishesalthough it represents a significant moment in our tradition, is the cause of danger because one can easily get injured and cut with the shards, since these are abandoned in the public street by the participants”, states the mayor Settimo Nizzi: “The systematic abandonment of the fragments following the celebrations has led us to provide for the prescription because, in addition to constitute a source of danger for unfortunate passers-by, causes serious damage to urban decorum and the image of the city”.
For those who do not respect the ordinance there is the administrative sanction from 25 to 500 euros.
