Celebracion del Matrimonio Transcript
- ♪ Pues que los cuide mi Dios ♪
♪ Jesucristo los ampare ♪
♪ Porque lo que Dios junto ♪
♪ El hombre no lo separe ♪
♪ El casorio es delicado ♪
♪ Como un vaso de cristal ♪
♪ No mas una vez se quiebra ♪
♪ Ya no se puede juntar ♪
For the Hispanic people of the Northern New Mexico, the entriega was sung three times during an individual's life, at baptism, marriage, and death. The Entriega Los Novios is still a popular event at weddings.
- [Narrator] When Hispanic colonists first came to New Mexico, beginning with the Oñate expedition in 1598, this land was the northern frontier of the Spanish colony of New Spain. Into the isolated river valleys and mountains they came, up from Mexico, to Christianize the Indians and to settle the land. In the frontier society, marriage was one of the greatest symbols of unity. Weddings were highly regulated by Church law and by the Spanish laws of the Indies that governed the New World. But here weddings varied from place to place, shaped by the blending of cultures. I am José Romulo Martinez of El Rito. I believe my ancestors established themselves here in about 1700.
- [Narrator] They were shepherds and ranchers and maybe worked the land too. I am the grandfather of Cecilia Martinez, who will be married.
- Another lovely custom that our people had in those old days was the custom of the arras. In those days the groom would present a little treasure box probably made out of jewels or some precious metal, and inside that they would place different kinds of coins of gold and silver, depending on how well off he was. And during the mass he would present them to his bride and he would say, "With these I promise you my respect and my support the rest of my life." Then she would accept them, and with her own words say, "I promise you mine in return." The custom of the arras came to us originally from North Africa, and it moved in to Spain with the Moors, and then to the Americas with the Spaniards.
- [Narrator] I remember that when I was young when a man wanted to get married, he had to go off and herd sheep and work for maybe a year to earn enough money for the wedding. When the young man had enough money, he came back and asked his father and his mother to ask for the woman he wanted to marry. Then they would invite the young man's padrinos, his godfather and godmother, to go along to request the girl's hand.
- And there they would engage in a conversation with the bride's father and the menfolk from her family. And this would always concern itself with how good relations were between the families and things of that nature. And finally as they were getting ready to leave, they would leave a letter, which would be the actual request.
- [Narrator] I have here the letter from when one of my sisters, Amada Martinez, was asked for. And it says the following, "El Rito, New Mexico, 1909."
- [Narrator] My name is Presciliana Ortega. I was born in the Canyon of Vallecitos. One day I was playing chueco, a ball game with the married girls, and my future husband was watching the game. The girls teased me, "That boy is going to ask for you," they said, well, I found this out through my girl friends and not because I met him. I didn't know what to think, whether to get married or not. And then his family came, and after the people left, I was told that the boy had asked for my hand.
- About a week later, the menfolk of the bride's family had had enough time to deliberate the answer, and hopefully had consulted the bride. In any case, they would go back to visit the groom's family and deliver the answer. And again they would talk about the good relations between the two families and how it would be of benefit, or whatever. And then they would leave the answer. And if it was an affirmative answer, it would be a letter with the yes in it, the agreement, and then if it was to be a negative answer, a no, they would still leave a gift. But in this case it would be a calabaza or a pumpkin. In all these deliberations, the word yes or no was never spoken, so as to preserve the dignity of everyone involved.
- [Narrator] When we were planning on marrying, then they brought me the little trunk with the dowry. They brought me clothes, they brought me necklaces, rings. They brought combs, scissors, needles, everything one would need. The wedding dress, the stockings and white slippers. That's what they brought me. The day of the prendorio they had a little feast and after, well, they joined us together with a rosary. The groom gave me the rosary with which we were betrothed. They introduced the groom to my people, and they introduced me to his. I met them there for the first time that day. We went to get married in the Church of El Rito, San Juan Nepomuceno. We were married on February 12, 1912. I was 15 years old.
- When I first met William we were in high school, we were dating for about two years when he gave me my promise ring. Well, I was very surprised when William asked me to marry him. I just... I didn't give him an answer right away. I, I just told him he had to slow down and wait a while. And, then a couple of days later he asked me again. I told him I'll talk to my parents, but I'm still undecided. I don't know if I really want to yet or not. I wanna finish my school, and I wanna get a job, and I don't wanna have children right away. I wanna work for a while. But all of a sudden, I knew we were just making plans. We just, kind of, I guess I kind of just told him yes. I like a lot of respect from a guy, and William made me feel like he had that respect.
- I was with my parents the night we went to go ask for Cecilia's hand in marriage. Everybody seemed like they were nervous. And I didn't really know the procedure. But my dad, I guess he had heard other people say about how it was supposed to be, and he just outright and asked them, and they accepted, right away. I would like just to be, be happy with my wife, and any children, and our families to be in peace. Eventually what I'd like to do is, be a rancher. I love freedom. That's why I chose El Rito to live in, stay in. I have the option to live in the city, but I wouldn't be happy there, and I know Cecilia wouldn't be happy there.
- [Jerome] The Hispanic way of life prevalent here changed over time. The last major change came after World War II. The service men who had returned after having served in that war had seen a larger world beyond these walls and valleys of New Mexico. And the customs surrounding marriage and other life events were forgotten, because they wanted to be so American now, and to reject their past. Young people today are realizing that we can be American and still be Hispanic. They've begun to be very proud of their language, their customs, their faith, and their culture. And now they are bringing back all those customs that were observed for so many centuries and then forgotten, like for example, the asking for the bride in the traditional way and the beautiful rituals of the wedding ceremony itself. They're beginning to find more and more meaning in all these things.
- [Narrator] In the home chapels and churches wedding celebrations created some of life's most poignant moments. Bride and groom would kneel at the altar, holding candles, with their padrinos, the godparents, for the priest's blessing. Each rite of passage required padrinos, chosen from family and friends. The relationship with godparents, compadrazgo, wove into the family and community, a lifelong supportive network. Human relationships were based on spiritual ideals, exemplified by saints and holy persons. Each saint symbolized the human perfection. On rough hewn boards they painted the saints of their particular devotion. The bultos they carved from the cottonwood and aspen trees around here. For lives to be joined in marriage, St. Joseph reigned as patron saint of the family, the Virgin Mary was the ideal of human purity and the Holy Family, the model for human families on Earth.
- Good afternoon to all of you and welcome to the wedding of William and Cecilia today. On behalf of William and Cecilia, we'd like to really extend our gratitude for your being here this afternoon. En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo. Amen. My dear friends, William and Cecilia, you have come together in this beautiful church of San Juan Nepomuceno, your parish church, so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the church's minister, myself, and this community, your friends and relatives. William, do you take Cecilia to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?
- [William] I do.
- [Jerome] Cecilia, do you take William to be your husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?
- I do.
- William and Cecilia, you have declared your consent before God and His Holy Catholic Church. May the Lord fill you with every blessing. May you always remember that what God has joined here together today, man must never divide.
- [Narrator] The ritual of the lazo came to us from Spain through Mexico, the bride's padrino would place the rosary over the heads of the bride and groom as their engagement.
- [Jerome] It's also a good reminder that they can't walk away too far from each other without hurting each other, no? Also, teniamos mas antes una costumbre de las arras. We ask Your blessing upon these arras that they may be always a sign of the respect and physical support that this young couple will give to each other the rest of their lives.
- [William] Cecilia, I give these to you as a sign of my respect and support.
- [Cecilia] I will accept them and use them wisely.
- [Jerome] We're going to be asking the parents and family of William and Cecilia to come and give them la bendición, and give them their blessing, to join to that of the blessing of our Holy Church. From their baptismal candles, William and Cecilia will light the most important candle in the church, the Christ candle of Easter, as a symbol of new light and hope for all of us through their lives together. The mass is ended. Let us all go in peace. Thanks be to God. There's no such thing in a Hispanic village as a small wedding, or a small anything for that matter, because the whole village is related in one way or the other.
- [Narrator] When they came out of the church, well, they got in their wagons and buggies, and they would go to the house of the bride. It was the custom to fire shots, and the people would come out to meet them with musicians playing a violin and guitar.
- [Jerome] The wedding celebration began with the marcha, a kind of triumphal march of this new family, introducing them to the assembled company.
- [Musician] If you wanna dance, you'll have to dance with the bride or the groom, and it's gonna cost you!
- [Narrator] The Vals de los Novios is a time to express support and good wishes for the new couple.
- [Musician] Attention, ladies and gentlemen, the food is ready! So anybody that's hungry, you're welcome to get a bite to eat.
- [Jerome] After the religious observance, then they would go to a sala, a large hall, in which they would celebrate, continue the celebration that was begun already in the church. And there would be a feast of course of every possible food and delicacy that could be rustled up. And everybody was welcome, the whole village was welcome. And this was of course, to mirror the celestial feast of Heaven.
- [Musician] If anyone would like to join in the entriega, welcome.
- [Narrator] No wedding was considered complete until the entriega was sung. The traditional verses, both humorous and serious, echoed the wedding ceremony, instructing the couple and blessing their families, each member by name. ♪ Dicen que de un casorio ♪
- They say that in a wedding-
♪ La entriega es lo mas bonito ♪
- The entirega is the most beautiful part.
♪ Hoy que echo en la bendicion ♪
- Today I include in the blessing-
♪ Padres, padrinos y abuelitos ♪
- Parents, relatives, and godparents.
♪ Novia, aqui hoy te entriego, ♪
- Bride, here today I give you over-
♪ Ya se te llego el dia ♪
- At last the day has come for you.
♪ Te miras tu tan solita ♪
- You look so alone-
♪ Como la Virgen Maria ♪
- Like the Virgin Mary.
♪ William, aqui hoy te entriego, ♪
- William here today I give you over-
♪ Te vengo a felicitar ♪
- I come to congratulate you.
♪ Ya se te acabo todito, ♪
- Now everything is finished for you-
♪ De cuello que van a traer ♪
- They've got you by the collar.
♪ A los padres de estos novios ♪
- To the parents of these newlyweds-
♪ Aqui los vengo a apreciar. ♪
- Here I come to give you praise.
♪ Hoy entriegan a sus hijos, ♪
- Today you give over your children-
♪ Dios se los ha de prestar. ♪
- That God will entrust you with.
♪ Los padrinos y madrinas ♪
♪ Ya saben su obligacion. ♪
- The godfathers and godmothers already know their obligation.
♪ Ya yo canso a sus ahijados ♪
- I already tired out their godchildren-
♪ Echenles la bendicion. ♪
- You give them the blessing.
- [Narrator] Human bonds are interwoven in song as bride and groom are given to each other, as each family receives a new son or daughter, as padrinos, novios, and familias are joined together with new spiritual ties.
- [Narrator] Later that night would be the dance, the waltzes, redondos, two-steps, schottisches, and the Varsovianna.
- [Narrator] The roots of Hispanic marriage go back to an early Christian age. The celebration has changed with time and place, yet continues to make order of the world, and sustain the social harmony.
