At a traditional Italian wedding celebration, the lively dance especially associated with southern Italy is the tarantella. It is typically performed to fast music with repeated, energetic steps and circular or partner formations.
The tarantella is not one single choreographed dance. The name covers a family of related folk dances from southern Italian regions, including Sicily, Calabria, Apulia, and Campania. Local forms can differ in rhythm, instruments, and movement.
The dance’s name is linked to Taranto in Apulia. A later legend claimed that people bitten by the tarantula spider could recover through frantic dancing, but historians generally treat that story as folklore rather than a medical explanation for the dance’s origin.
At weddings, the tarantella can involve the newlyweds, relatives, and guests. Its festive character makes it a natural part of celebrations, but it is also performed at festivals and cultural events outside weddings.