Marriage rituals in the valley of Haut-Richelieu: Comparison between town and country in the 20th century

Marriage rituals are used here as indicators of the cultural change which o ccurred in the XXth century. Through an oral survey involving people marrie d during the periods 1920-1930 and 1980-1995 in Saint-Jean-Iberville(Quebec ) it is possible to observe the spreading of innovation in the social space . If the expansion of the urban mode of living transformed ritual practices in general, it so happens that some customs of the countryside were mainta ined by families in the city. More interestingly, this inquiry allowed us t o demonstrate that some ancient rural practices, put aside for some time, w ere rediscovered and renewed by couples married at the end of the XXth cent ury. Research into cultural exchanges between the city and the country open s up unexpected perspectives.