THE ROYAL WEDDING

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1930, Page 6

THE ROYAL WEDDING

GREAT ROME PAGEANT. FOR ROYAL WEDDING. A WONDERFUL PROCESSION. L United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.] ROME, Jan. 8. The pageant of five thousand peasants in Rome to-day proved a spectacle of magnificence such as the Eternal City has not seen since the palmy days of Renaissance. There was ?a grand stand covered with scarlet and gold velevt, erected before tbe Quirinal Palace, in which Prince Umberto and Princess Marie Jose were seated, while the Kings and Queens of Belgium and Italy watched from the balcony the Palace Square, which was crowded with spectators, who wore behind a triple row ol soldiers with fixed bayonets.

Leaving the Piazzo Indipendenza, a procession of eighteen Italian legions moved along the crowded streets, eighteen heralds, with golden and silver trumpets, sounding a fanfare that was composed by Signor Mascagni, the famous musician.

The Sardian peasants wore their native costumes, lid they had the place of honour after the trumpeters. When they reached the Quirinal, they sang Sardinian National Anthem.

The Piedmontese peasants, in Alpine costume, followed the Sardinians. Each- group, upon approaching Prince Umberto and his bride, presented a bouquet of flowers and also a present from their district.

Princess .Marie .lose was introduced to each Italian province from the Alps to the sen.

The Tuscan peasant group included bare-back riders, who had previously taken part in the famous race called the “Palio of Siena.”

The shepherds of the Alban Hills wearing their sheepskins, played folkmusic on their bagpipes. A nuptial touch was given by the singers of the Orsogna, who rendered marriage songs, and by a group of Roman girls, who sang love songs, to tambourines.

Then there followed a party of sturdy Ethiopians, while the Cowboys of the Campagna and Somali Chiefs on their camels were other features of the pageant, which eclipsed every expectation. PALACE AS WEDDING GIFT. Among the many wedding presents for Prince Humbert and Princess Jose, the most important, the Central News states, is the Palace of Racvonigi, tlie gift of'the King of Italy.' The original Palace of Racconigi dates back to 1006. It was rebuilt in 1681 and restored in 1788. It is one of the finest and most luxurious residences in Italy and full of objects of art of great value. It is the King’s private property. It is announced that the Holy Sindon will he taken to Rome from Turin, where for centuries it has been the most precious possession of the Cathedral of St. John. The Holy Sindon is the shroud in which the body of Christ is stated to have been wrapped after the Criiifixion, and it is exposed to view only on the occasion of the marriage- of a King of Italy or of a Clown Prince. Held by four or six distinguished persons, it is kept above the heads of the bridal couple during the ceremony.