On the route to the wedding, there were several dangers. It was bad luck to see pigs, lizards, or attend funerals, according to belief. In addition, it was unfortunate for the bride to look in a mirror once she began her journey to the wedding; yet, it was auspicious if she did so first. Rural brides hated hearing a cock crow on the morning of their wedding, as is said in an old saying, "Happy is the bride the sun shines on, Blessed is the corpse the rain falls on."
In addition to the chimney sweep, which may be connected to the idea that soot and ashes are symbolic of fertility, the bride was lucky to run across clergymen, physicians, blind men, lambs, spiders, and toads.
Almost as many superstitions accompany the journey from the wedding. Confetti raining on newlyweds has its roots in paganism, when grains, particularly maize, were tossed for fertility. As a couple departs a church in that nation, they are showered with sweets, which is referred to as "confetti" in Italian.
