Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-04-18
A Sca.mpanacciata.
Ihad often heard of the old Rom.

Ihad often heard of the old Roman
scampanacciata. but I had never really
witnessed one till a couple of evenings
ago. Now, as I do not suppose there
are nlcuy if any who have ever seen or
even knew what a scampanacciata is, L
flatter myself that for this once, at the
least, / have something new to tell you.
A scampanacciata, then, is q serenade
of knives, forks. fat-irons, kettles, pots,
pans, drums. tin trumpets and every
other tiendish instrument OF oral tor
ture that satirical malice can invent to
jnllict upon an unfortunate couple who
may have thought titto unite themselves
late in order to spend their latter days
in company together, instead of sitting
each alone by q solitary hearth. In a
word, when a man and woman past
their prime marry here in Rome their
neighbors resent this tardy union as q
personal insult to themselves, and re-
venge themselves, also, by informing
their friends and acquaintance all over
the town, and then agree together to
give the newly-married pair q scam
%panacciata the very first night Of their
marriage or the first night after their
return to town, should the poor old
bride and bridegroom think of evading
the serenade by hiding themselves for a
time in aristocratic manner The per-
mission of the police is even necessary
for q s"ampana.ciata, on account OF
the numbers of persons employed III 1t,
which might provoke disturbances of a
different kindi if not controlled, and even
projected, by the police authorities.
In former days these scampanaeciata
used to begin at midnight and
lasted until dawn; but as this awoke
and kept awake hundreds of other pco-
pie besides the intended victims the
present Government gives its perm;s-
sion for an early after dusk, and sets,
also, a limit on the duration OF the ser
enade, which the other evening lasted
barely twenty minutes; and ever then
nineteen out Of the twenty were two
many for the ears and nerves of all
those not personally int :ested in the
ce emory, Of which nothing more hid
eous can we'll be imagined. The very
word scampanacciata portrays tho
meaning of the thing-that is, ga dis.
cordant ringing Of BELLS" In English
we might say, ga scampish ringing Of
BELLS" When first the hideous sonn6
broke the growing silence of the eve
ming hour it sounded as if He'll itsel
had opened its jaws and sent it's imp;
on earth to car us with Their shrieks
The mind cannot picture to itself sucl
a tiendish mixture OF hideous instru
ments, with howls and shrieks, imi
tat ng cats, dogs, owls, sheep, cattle
horses, and the like. Every window il
the street was thrown open. and people
pale with fright appeared at them
Their fright soon ceased. however, ant
smiles appeared on their scared faces
Romans enjoy such sights, and ar
proud of them on account OF thei
ancient origin. In fact, setting tn
noise on II side, the sight of tie stree
was curious enough. 1t was filled wit
a crowd of men, women and children
all carrying One noisy instrument il
their hands, OF torch, or lantern. Ever
one, also, either shouted. whistled
hooted, howled, or initiated animals, a
above stated, The II sc was Internal
that is a fact; and the sight, also, of al
these lighted torches and lanterns il
che dark street was weird and strang
to a degree. Nothing like it can B
e e in any other part of the world, 70
nowhere but in Rome a.e old paga
customs still kept up as they are i
this so we'll called Eternal City.
To think, however, that this ridiculou
scampanacciata is a remnant of one {
the most poetic ceremonies of old Paga
Rome, a veslige OF its nuptial festiv
ties, when a company of youths, calle
p~araninii, went to snatch the bridefrol
her fathers house Gin imitation of til
rape of the Sabincs)! The bride, alst
covered from head to toot with a lon
veil, pretended to move with unwillin
steps toward her husbands house, an
was followed by her maidens, carryin
her distaff and other household impl,
ments. On each side OF her, also. we
her friends and relatives, who dance
and sang hymns Of Joy as she went o,
while the paranin filled up the pause
with cheers Tor the bride, bridegroom
and hymen (''Hymen, hymenae, h,
men: Hymen AIDES 0 hYmenee..''); the
also carried lighted torches in the
hands.
When paeanism gradually disa,
peared before Christianity this paga
nuptial ceremony also disappeared
give place to Christian m~arriage-r;te
Only, as the Romans transferred the
Saturnalia int their Celebrate, and the
Carli lie into their St. Johns eve mi,
night orgies, and many other old paga
customs into their modern festivals,
they transferred the old Roman nu'
italia ceremonies into the low, rouel
vulgar riot, 10 turn into ridicule Il
wedding of an elderly couple, and
substitute the old hymns of ioy With ur
seem!y shrieks of animals and d scor
ant .ounds. A low and ill-bred joke
all that now remains of the old poet
nuptial-rites. Paganism was in this,
least, more poetical than the mode,
Christianity of our present Rome.
Rome Cor Chicago Tribune.