Viva gli Sposi 新郎新婦よ末長く

It was sunny and was just before noon. I was standing in a very hot and sultry church in a small Italian town, looking at my friend in front of me flapping her fan. Italian people are much more religious than Austrian people, we knew it but our only wish was ....that the priest's talk would be over very soon.

とてもいい天気だった。お昼のほんの少し前。とある小さなイタリアの町にある蒸し暑い教会に立っていた。友人が目の前で扇子を扇いでいるのが見える。イタリア人はオーストリア人よりも信心深いことは知っていたが、みんなただただ、神父の話がすぐに終わることを祈っていた。

About three months ago, a friend of mine asked me of my postal address. He lived in Vienna for several years but now in Italy. There was actually nothing until July when I received a beautiful envelop delivered to my postbox. An invitation to his marriage party in Italy. I got to know him in Vienna, he is a very fun Italian guy, generous and any way all „Italian“. The more I talked with him, I got to know that he watched the same TV anime programs in his childhood in 10 year's delay from mine.

３ヶ月ほど前、友人の一人から住所を聞かれた。彼はウィーンに数年間住んでいたが、今はイタリアに戻っている。７月になって初めて、郵便箱に綺麗な封筒があるのを見つけた。イタリアで行われる、彼の結婚パーティーへの招待状だった。彼とはウィーンで知り合った。とても陽気なイタリア人で、寛大で、とにかく「イタリアン」な男だ。話すにつれ、彼が１０年遅れで全く同じ日本のアニメ番組を見て育ったことが分かった。

Twelve of our common friends including those who used to live in Vienna out of 11 different nationalities currently living in Vienna, Rome, Athens, Luxembourg and Brussels gathered together in a small Italian city Mestre in Veneto, about 30 minutes car travel from Venice. Some came earlier than others, I flew from Vienna with one of them after the work on Friday. It was just a weekend trip to Italy. Every transportation from/to airport or station and booking hotels was organized by the groom, he was so patient to organize everything in spite of our almost individual wishes; some wanted to fly earlier and go sightseeing in Venice, the other wanted to longer than others until Monday.

ウィーン、ローマ、アテネ、ルスセンブルグ、ブリュッセルから、以前ウィーンに住んでいた２人を含む１２人の共通の友達がヴェニスから３０分ほど離れた、ベネト州にあるメストレという小さな町に集まった。何人かはいち早く現地入り。僕はもう一人と一緒にウィーンから金曜の仕事の後にヴェニスに飛んだ。週末だけのイタリア旅行。空港からの、また空港への移動、さらにはホテルの予約まで全て新郎の友人が手配してくれていた。われわれ個々人のばらばらな要望にも文句ひとつも言わず。何人かは早めに現地入りして観光したい。それから月曜までヴェニスにいたいなど。

The next morning, around 10:30, two taxis came to pick us up in front of our hotel as our groom friend organized. Somebody then said that we have never seen each other so beautifully dressed. It was true. It took about just 20 or some minutes to get to the church where the ceremony would be held. There we met two more of our friends came from different direction from their vacance. Slowly but gradually more and more attendees arrived. Surely more than 100 and more. Our groom friend appeared soon with his local friend. He looked almost as same as he usually was in Vienna, but razored his beard quite sharply and neatly. He seemed to be quite relaxed. To attend a wedding ceremony in Italy was actually the first time. It should be different from Austrian ones, yes, Italian people are very different from Austrian.

翌朝１０時半ごろ、ホテルに２台のタクシーがわれわれを迎えに来た。これも新郎が手配をしてくれたもの。誰かが、みんながこんなに着飾っているのを見るのは初めてね、という。式が執り行われる教会まで２０分ほどで到着する。そこで、今回休暇中で別の方向からやってきた友人２人と落ち合う。少しずつ式に参列する人が集まりだした。最低１００人はいる。新郎になる友人がすぐに彼の現地の友人とともに現れた。リラックスしているようだった。イタリアでの結婚式に参列するのは実際にはこれが始めて。オーストリアの結婚式とは違うはず。もちろんイタリア人はオーストリア人とは全く違う人種だ。

Thanks I.

Thanks K.

Finally our beautifully dressed bride appeared in a white 50' Cadillac with a small fridge for drink attached at the middle of the back seat. People crowded around the car.

ついに、後部座席に飲み物用の冷蔵庫がついた、白い５０年代のキャデラックに乗った新婦が到着する。みんなが車の回りに駆け寄る。

Thanks M.

The ceremony started. How hot was it inside? Sometimes we heard babies crying during the ceremony, maybe due to that heat. Some adults went out maybe because they could have felt bad. My ears slowly caught up Italian words by then. Life, marriage and the God. I think it quite difficult to tell such the story nowadays; less and less people would believe in God in Europe. Or maybe attendees were not able to concentrate on the priest's speech because of the heat. Any way it was a hard „work“ for all of us there.

式が始まった。中がどのくらい暑かったろう？時々赤ん坊が泣き出すのが聞こえる。暑さのせいだろう。何人かの大人も気分を悪くしたのか外に出ていた。このころには耳がイタリア語に慣れてきた。人生、結婚と神。今時そういう話をするのは難しい。ヨーロッパでは神を信じない人がたくさん増えてきている。もしくは参列者みんな、暑さのせいで神父の話に集中できないか。いずれにせよ、どちら側にとっても過酷な「仕事」だったのは間違いない。

Thanks M.

After sharing round bread on some people's tongue, the ceremony was over. Most of the people were already outside to take in fresh air, some were still there to talk to bride and groom. Outside, our groom's close friends were preparing something to welcome the fresh pair coming out of the church. Bags of penne, rice and some cartons of cat food. Condoms were blown to be like a balloon, were attached to a string.

何人かの舌に丸いせんべいが配られた（パンを分け与えるという意味）後、ほとんどの人は新鮮な空気を吸いに外に出て行った。何人かは中に残って、新郎新婦と話をしていた。外では新郎の友人達が、教会から出てくる新郎新婦を待ち構えて何かを用意していた。パスタや米の袋にキャットフード。風船のように膨らませたコンドームが紐に取り付けられていた。

When the pair came out of the door, it was closed and then people started to scatter penne and pasta to the top of the pair. Our Vienna group people also followed the Italian style saying „auguri“. The groom's close Italian friends even „applied“ handful of rice onto his head. His suite got white stain from rice when we had nothing more to scatter around.

新郎新婦がドアから出てくると、ドアが閉められ、みんなパスタや米を撒き始めた。 われわれウィーンチームも「おめでとう」を言いながらイタリアンスタイルに従う。新郎の親しい友人達は、新郎の頭に、手のひら一杯に握った米を擦り付けていた。もう投げるものがなくなったころ、彼のスーツは米糠の斑点だらけになっていた。

Thanks M.

Of course very important for all attendees, here came photo shooting time. We just join the background of the picture with bride and groom as we were called; male friends of groom, friends from abroad and so on.

もちろん参列者みんなにとって大事なのは新郎新婦と一緒にとる記念写真。われわれも新郎の友人、海外から来た友人、などと呼ばれる声にしたがって、新郎新婦の写真の背景に加わる。

Thanks K.

It was time for the party. We drove with the groom's cousins or brothers to the party in three groups. I was with other 3 Vienna friends together on the way in a car which our groom's cousin M. drove. After about 10 minutes drive, M. noticed that there was something wrong with his car, stopped his car at the road side of a closed gas station, checking his car around front tires. One of them was flat. He told me that he cannot use the spare tire and there is no way. The station was closed until the following day as written „chiuso per feria“. There was nothing to be used to pump the air, One of us, B. suggested that M. should drive the car alone to the next gas station where he can do something and then return to fetch us later. I told M.about it in Italian. Actually there was no other way.

パーティーの時間になった。われわれは３つのグループに分かれて、新郎のいとこや兄弟の車に同乗して会場へ向かう。僕は他の３人と一緒に新郎の従兄弟のM.が運転する車に乗り込む。１０分ほどして彼は閉まっているガソリンスタンド脇の道路に車を止めて、フロントタイヤ辺りを見ている。どうもパンクらしい。スペアタイヤはどうやら使えない様子。ガソリンスタンドには「休暇中につき閉店」という張り紙。友人の一人のB.が、次のガソリンスタンドまでわれわれなしで車を運転して行って、あとで迎えに来るようにという提案を持ちかける。M.にイタリア語で話す。実際他に手がなかった。

Although the station was closed, gasoline was served without service people. We four were standing there, dressed in quite conspicuous way at a closed gas station, waited our driver came back. A shower of rain once came and soon went away, we were standing under the roof. After a while, maybe in thirty or some minutes, two cars came to fetch us. Finally we were at the restaurant where the party took place. Other friends were already there and relaxed with some drink and snacks.

ガソリンスタンドは閉まっていたものの、ガソリン自体はセルフサービスで給油できる。われわれ４人は、閉店しているガソリンスタンドには目立ちすぎる格好で彼の帰りを待っていた。一時雨がぱらぱらと降ってきてまた止んだ。みんな屋根の下に移る。しばらくして、多分３０分ほどして車が２台でわれわれを迎えに来た。ついにパーティー会場のレストランに到着。他の友人達はすでにそこで飲み物とつまみを手にリラックスしていた。

The restaurant has a garden and a pool with running water and alternating illumination, relatively new, I thought. Some tents were pitched to serve snacks or drinks in the garden, people were also organizing instruments and an amplifier for live music. Waiting for the fresh pair arrives we took snacks and sparkling wine and talked to each other. It was very hot then, after some 10 minutes it started to rain a bit strongly which seemed to be get rid of the heat of the air. I told others that there is a Japanese phrase, fox's marrige we call when it rains and sun shines at the same time. A female singer started to sing on keyboard and saxophone, it was wonderful.

レストランには庭にプールがあって、水が流れて、色の変わるイルミネーション付き。比較的新しいところだと思った。野外にはテントも建てられ、そこで飲み物につまみを振舞っていた。主催者は生音楽も用意しており、機材やアンプを準備していた。初々しい新郎新婦の到着を待ちながらシャンパンにつまみを調達し、話をする。とても暑かったが、１０数分ほどして雨がしばらく強く降り、どうもそれが蒸し暑かった空気を冷ましてくれたようだ。日本では雨が降って、日が同時に射すことを狐の嫁入りと呼ぶとみんなに話す。女性歌手がキーボートとサックスに合わせて歌い始める。素晴らしい演奏だった。

Thanks I.

Thanks M.

Thanks D.

As the organizer called all the guests, we entered the restaurant on the first floor to have meal. In a big room we found about 10 or 12 round tables covered with white table cloth, 8 people at each. And of course the table for the pair was in the very front. I found my name at the table singed „Friends from Abroad 2“. On the table there was a big candle stand in the middle that held 5 sphere shaped candles in different levels.

主催者がゲスト一同を呼ぶ。食事の準備が出来た。レストランの２階にあるホールに移動する。大きな部屋には白いテーブルクロスが掛けられた、１０から１２の丸テーブルがあり、それぞれに８人づつ割り当てられていた。もちろん新郎新婦のテーブルは一番前。「海外からの友人２」というテーブルに自分の名前を見つける。テーブルの中央には大きなキャンドルスタンドに５つの球状の蝋燭が段違いに置かれていた。

Thanks K.

The meals was based on sea food, so told us our groom in advance, it was served in the Italian manner, starts with primo and second piatto then follows some main dishes and dessert. Waiters were always busy serving dishes for each guest. They were all very delicately seasoned and never spoiled the flavor or taste of ingredients. Here is the list of the course menu delivered to the table in turn.

食事は魚介類がメインだということを新郎からは事前に連絡を受けていた。イタリア式にテーブルまで運ばれる。プリモ、セコンド、そしてメインにデザート。ウェイターは常に忙しそうに招待客の間を料理を運んでいた。繊細な味付けで、素材の味を殺さない、そんな素晴らしい料理だった。 これが当日のコースメニュー。席に次から次へと運ばれてきた。

Thanks A.

Our members from Vienna were worrying when to give the present which we prepared from Vienna, I just told them that we can just wait until the right time would come. Our groom is so busy to communicate with his family, relatives and friends,  there should be no way to ply ourselves among them.

ウィーンからのメンバーはいつ用意したプレゼントを渡せるかとやきもきしていたので、そのうち渡せる時間が来るからと宥める。新郎は家族や親戚、友人達との歓談で忙しい。そのなかに割ってはいるなどもってのほかである。

„Viva gli sposi“ that was the word often shouted by local Italians which means „Live long the bride and the groom“. As we ate meals and drank wine, I remembered what we talked about the day before; about typical wedding party progress of each country we come from. One of these was chicken dance from Romania. It is hard to imagine at all but I just recalled a scene of Tom & Jerry show which I saw long time ago where (naked) grilled chicken danced and after that got ashamed to notice that „she“ is naked and try to cover something around her.But it looks like this actually according to my friend R..

「ヴィヴァ、スポースィ（末永くお幸せに）」　地元のイタリア人からはこう、叫びにも似た声が上がる。食事を食べてワインを飲んでいる間、前日に話していたことを思い出した。それぞれの出身国の結婚式やパーティーでの特別なこと。そのうちのひとつが、ルーマニアのチキンダンス。どういうものなのかは正直想像しがたいが、勝手に昔見たトムとジェリーのワンシーンを思い浮かべる。ダンスをしている丸焼きのチキンが、ふと丸裸なのに気がついてあわてて身を隠す。友人のR.によればこんな感じらしい。

One after another, we enjoyed newly served food, every dish was wonderful. After finishing eating, people were moving freely to other table, talked to each other. Our members from Vienna once went outside for breathing, the meal was too much for some of us and we had much enough wine already. And our groom friend was too busy to talk to guests that would come up to their table  in the very front. I still stayed in the room to be talked by the neighbor tables where only Italian speaking people were sitting. I had to correct how they pronounced my name. It was from one of the tables in the room where people shouted „viva sposi“ all the time. M., who tried to drive us to the restaurant was also there, I asked him what exactly happened with his car. His response was, he has to take his car to the workshop in two days.

次から次へと料理が運ばれてくるが、どの料理も素晴らしい。食べ終わった後、みんな他のテーブルを自由に行き来して話をしている。ウィーンからのメンバーも、食べすぎ、飲みすぎで外の空気を吸いに外に出かけていった。 新郎は未だに近くのテーブルから彼らのテーブルにやってくるゲストとの会話で忙しそう。ぼくは部屋に残って、近くのテーブルに座っているイタリア人と話をする。名前を間違えて呼ばれるのでその都度訂正する。さっきまで四六時中「ヴィヴァ、スポースィ」と陽気だったテーブルのメンバーだ。僕を含む４人を車でレストランまで送ってくれかけた新郎のいとこのM.もそのテーブルに居た。車がどうなったと聞くと、月曜日に修理工場に持っていかなきゃと言っていた。

thanks M.

The groom's parents came up to me. His father rather kept silence, his mother always talked to me. Maybe they always hear from him how his life in Vienna used to be or which kind of friends he has there. But maybe they wanted to get to know „them“ in person. She pointed to the table next to us and said that many of her daughters are still single. She guided me to the table and introduced each of them to me. I introduce myself to each of them, too. They were all very kind. I was very honored to talk to the groom's family members.

新郎の両親が僕のところにやってきた。彼の父親はむしろ静かで、母親がずっと話しかけてきた。多分、息子からはウィーンの生活がどんなで、どういう友達がいるのかという話は聞いているんだろうが、やっぱり個人的に話をしてみたかったに違いない。彼女は隣のテーブルを指差し、あれが私の娘達でまだ独身なのよと言う。みんなに紹介される。それぞれに簡単に自己紹介をする。みんな親切だ。彼の家族と話が出来たことは光栄だ。

Then I was talked to by the man who came to pick us up at the gas station I was waiting for the car with three other friends, he called himself „Dante“ smiling, mentioning that the name should be very familiar to me. He talked about his last trip to Japan and we also talk about the earthquake in Japan. At least it seemed to me that he really likes Japan.

その後、ガソリンスタンドに我々を迎えに来てくれたうちの一人に声をかけられる。聞き覚えのある名前だろうと笑いながら、「ダンテ」と名乗った。彼は日本の旅行の話をしてくれた。それに日本の自身の話。少なくとも彼は日本のファンのようだ。

As the dessert finally came, some attcactions took place to entertain guests; some selected female guests peeled breast hair of groom with a tape, some brought presents to the pair. We also preapred some gift collection from Vienna, finally we got a chance to give it to the pair. We came up to the pair's table and let him open the box. He took every piece in the box one after another, giving his comment to the people around the table. I put a daruma figure in the box, a symbol of patience. He seemed to like an apron with Matroshka. Yes, he is a good cook.

デザートがやってきたころ、招待客を喜ばせるアトラクションが行われた。事前に選ばれた女性が新郎の胸毛をテープでむしりとるという、なんとも痛々しいもの。それにプレゼントタイム。ようやくプレゼントを渡す機会が回ってきた。みんなで新郎新婦のテーブルに。新郎が一つ一つ足りだしながら周りの人たちにコメントする。僕は我慢の象徴のだるまを箱の中に入れた。新郎はマトリョーシュカ柄のエプロンが気に入ったようだった。彼は料理がうまい。

The party continued downstairs later on. A DJ was playing some dance music, people were sitting outside by the pool drinking wine or cocktails, and some were dancing. It was already dark and we enjoyed the color of the pool water alternates by illumination. We ate and drank enough but still we fetch drinks and saw others were dancing, or talking. During the pause between music, the pair came and did some „attraction“ again. The groom fixated a pen in his front with his arms fastened in his back, the bride a sheet of paper attached like an apron around her waist, standing with her face toward him. He tried to write something on the paper which his wife has on her, just by moving his waist and bending his legs. It was hardly recognizable what he wrote but at least he was able to read it “Ti amo”.

パーティーは階下で更に続く。DJがダンスミュージックをかけ、プールサイドに座ってワインやカクテルを飲んでいる人たちもダンスに加わる。もう少し暗くなってきていて、プールの水の色が光で刻々と変化していくのが楽しめる。十分食べるものも食べ、飲むものも飲んでいたが、それでもさらに飲み物を取ってきて、他の人がダンスをするのを眺めたり、話をしたり。音楽の合間に、新郎新婦がまた「アトラクション」を披露する。新郎が下腹部にペンを取り付け、両手は後ろで縛られたまま、新婦の下腹部にエプロンのように取り付けられた紙に、膝を曲げ、腰を動かして何かを書こうとしていた。とても読めるような文字ではなかったが、彼曰く「ティ アーモ（愛してる）」だったらしい。

thanks D.

Already some of us went back to the hotel, I sat at a table by the pool, talking with others and then D. jumped into the pool which was followed by K with her cloths on. First guest swam in the pool. Maybe they could have talked about it and had some bet. I did not join in the pool but dance, every time music changed and people went inside and danced, or made a row and put their hands on the shoulder of others, marching through the garden.

すでに何人かホテルに帰っていたようだが、プールの脇のテーブルに座って、友人Dがプールに飛び込んだ。そしてそれに続いてKも服を着たまま。プールに飛び込んだ最初のゲストになった。彼らはおそらく賭けをしていたに違いない。プールには参加しなかったが、ダンスには参加する。音楽が変わるたびに人が中に入ってきて、前の人の肩に手をかけて列を作って庭を横断する。

I talked with the groom's brother N., whom I once met when he was in Vienna some months ago. The guy G., who stood in front of the church holding string with condom balloon also came up to me. We talked for a while about foods or work, until then I felt quite easy to talk in Italian. G. told me that my Italian was not bad.

新郎の兄弟のN.とも話をする。彼とは数ヶ月前にウィーンで会ったことがある。そのほか、教会の前でコンドーム風船のついた紐を持って立っていた、新郎の友人G.も加わり、食べ物や仕事について話をする。G.は、僕のイタリア語はまんざらでもないねと褒めてくれる。

When groom's parents went back home they just come to me and said hello. It was almost 24:00, the party seemed to continue but I called it the end of the day and went back to the hotel with some others. It was one of the greatest parties I had had, or even one of the most fantastic days as a whole.

新郎の両親が帰宅前にこちらにやってきて挨拶をした。もう真夜中近くでパーティーはまだまだ続く様子。でもここいらでお開きにすることにする。他の数人と一緒にホテルに戻る。これまでで一番のパーティーのひとつ。いや、全体としてはこれ以上にない素敵な一日だった。

VIVA GLI SPOSI!!

新郎新婦、末永くお幸せに！！

P.S.1 I heard that later that our friend D. dived into the pool again after we had left the restaurant.
P.S.2 We all got a present from the pair but the next day.

追伸１　友人D.はその後またプールに飛び込んだらしい。
追伸２　翌朝われわれみんな、新郎新婦からプレゼントを受け取った。