1930s–1940s Italian-American family (Sicilian) customs?

Hi everyone,

I’m writing a novel about the Pacific War, and one of my main characters is a 23-year-old Italian-American soldier from Brooklyn in 1941. His parents are from Palermo, Sicily, and immigrated to the U.S. around the 1910s–1920s.

He is engaged while stationed overseas, so he can’t bring his family to the engagement or wedding. Since he was raised in a proud Sicilian/Italian-American Catholic family, I’m trying to understand what customs and habits he might still carry with him.

My questions are:

1. Were there any old-school Sicilian or Southern Italian-American engagement customs in the 1930s–1940s? Things like asking the bride’s family for permission, bringing flowers or sweets, almond, engagement dinners, religious blessings, family announcements, gifts or expectations from the groom’s family.
2. What foods would Sicilian/Southern Italian-American families commonly eat at home during and after the Great Depression? What would they prepare for special occasions or New Year’s?
3. What kinds of discrimination did Italian-Americans face in that era?
4. For Guglielmo, would nicknames like Memo or Memuzzo sound believable in a Sicilian-American family? Or would something else sound more natural?

I’d love to hear any family stories or cultural details from Sicilian, Southern Italian, Brooklyn or old-school Italian-American backgrounds. Thanks for reading!