Wedding traditions in Puerto Rico during the 16th and 17th centuries offer a glimpse into our ancestors’ lives beyond the names and dates in parish registers. Religious ceremonies, horseback processions, music, and feasts marked these occasions in the historical account discussed below.
As a family researcher with a strong interest in Puerto Rican history, I enjoy finding descriptions that help me imagine everyday life in earlier centuries. Some branches of my family reach back to the 1600s and 1700s. Although these accounts cannot tell me exactly how my own ancestors married, they provide valuable context for understanding their world.
The following overview adapts an account of early wedding customs into accessible English. A special thank you to Beatrice Viera for helping me with the English translation on which this adaptation is based.
Church Ceremonies and Nuptial Blessings
According to the account, couples went to their parish church after meeting the legal requirements for marriage. There, they received the sacrament of marriage, the veiling ceremony, and nuptial blessings associated with the wedding Mass.
During the ceremony, the priest reminded the couple of their responsibilities to one another. He also invoked the biblical examples of Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebekah, while asking God to bless the newlyweds with peace, abundance, and children.
The account describes the couple leaving the church after Mass to the singing of an antiphon, a religious chant.
Wedding Coins and Household Blessings
Before or after the nuptials, a priest might visit the couple’s home to bless the arras, the room, and the marriage bed. He recited prayers prescribed in the religious rituals of the period.
The arras are wedding coins associated with the marriage ceremony. In the tradition described in the earlier version of this article, thirteen coins represented the groom’s promise to provide for the household and the bride’s acceptance of that commitment.
These blessings connected the church ceremony with the couple’s new household.
Horseback Processions in Early Puerto Rican Weddings
Once the religious ceremony ended, public celebrations began. The account presents weddings as important community occasions that could interrupt ordinary work and business.
One of the most striking customs was the cavalcade: a procession of riders accompanying and honoring the bride and groom. The author cites an early seventeenth-century local ordinance requiring neighbors with horses to ride in celebration of a marriage. Those without horses were expected to keep the groom company.
According to the account, the groom rode with the men, while the bride rode with the women. The processions traveled to the church, continued through the streets, and gathered in the public square. There, riders performed formations described as dances on horseback.
Connections with Spanish Customs
The historical author connects these processions with customs brought from Spain, particularly Extremadura. To support that interpretation, the account refers to an old law from the province of Cáceres that restricted horseback wedding ceremonies for widows.
It also mentions regulations in Salamanca that limited which women could ride in a wedding procession. One provision allowed the bride and her attendant to ride but imposed a fine of five maravedís if another woman joined them.
These examples suggest that horseback celebrations had precedents in Spain. However, the author’s proposed connection with Puerto Rico should be read as an interpretation of the historical evidence.
Music, Feasts, and Wedding Gifts
The celebrations extended beyond the horseback processions. At night, groups of men and women sang through the streets and around the church, accompanied by musical instruments.
Meanwhile, the couple’s relatives prepared the wedding feast. The account emphasizes abundant food, large gatherings, and hospitality toward neighbors who came to congratulate the newlyweds.
Gift-giving also formed part of the occasion. Relatives supplied clothing and other items for the bride’s trousseau, while the groom contributed according to his means. Members of the community offered additional gifts to help celebrate the marriage.
Together, these descriptions portray a wedding as both a family event and a public expression of community ties.
Laws Limiting Wedding Celebrations
The author also describes efforts to control the expense and disruption associated with weddings. Authorities introduced sumptuary laws, which restricted displays of wealth and extravagant consumption.
According to the account, these rules could limit wedding gifts, the number of banquet guests, and even the dishes served.
The author further connects wedding cavalcades with horseback celebrations held for Three Kings’ Day. The account states that related equestrian festivities continued in Caguas into the mid-nineteenth century.
What These Customs Add to Family Research
A marriage entry may identify a couple, their parents, witnesses, and place of origin. Yet it rarely describes the celebration surrounding the ceremony.
Historical accounts can help fill that gap. They offer context for the religious practices, family obligations, and community expectations that shaped our ancestors’ lives.
Nevertheless, customs varied by place, period, and circumstances. We should not assume that every couple celebrated with a large banquet or a horseback procession. Instead, these descriptions offer possibilities to consider alongside the records of a particular family.
For me, that is part of the pleasure of genealogy: discovering the history surrounding the people whose names appear in the documents.
Terms Used in This Article
- Arras: Coins exchanged as part of a wedding ceremony.
- Antiphon: A chant used in Christian worship.
- Cavalcade: A procession of riders or carriages.
- Trousseau: Clothing, linens, and other belongings assembled for marriage.
- Sumptuary laws: Rules restricting certain forms of spending, luxury, or public display.
- Maravedí: A historical Spanish monetary unit whose value changed over time.
Source and Translation Credits
Historical source: “Bodas suntuosas,” “Lienzos del Solar,” Juan Bobo (San Juan, Puerto Rico), no. 11, March 11, 1916, p. 3.
English translation assistance: Beatrice Viera.
This article adapts the historical account for clarity and organization rather than presenting a word-for-word transcription.
