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The Greek Wedding
Not always Big and Fat
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Ceremony of leavened bread
The ritual of 'Starting the Leaven' takes place on the Wednesday before the wedding. Like the gold-troubadours of the old west the bride and groom sieve flour together to bring in wealth and prosperity. The relatives and onlookers then proceed to throw coins into the sieve. This is when a boy and a girl, observed by the relative, sieve flour.
On the Friday before the wedding, the ceremony known as the 'Filling of the Sacks' takes place. This is a time when the bride fills sacks with all her possessions while visitors throw coins in to them. The bride's mother is the first to put a gift of pans into her daughter's sack. While the bride is filling her sacks, the groom meets with his friends and relatives, offering them wine and an invitation to the wedding feast. The bride's father does the same with his friends and relatives. The bride follows suit on Saturday, but she gives out sweets instead of wine.
The actual Greek wedding ceremony is still reminiscent of centuries old traditions which are closely followed. The weddings are performed according to the Greek Orthodox Church, a part of, the Catholic faith. The ceremony takes place in a Church and is a Christian ceremony which pay close attention to the minutiae symbolizing the union: love, mutual respect, equality and sacrifice. The service is usually performed in Greek/and/or the language of the host country.. Most churches located on the country-side and the islands are tiny in contrast to churches in other parts of Western Europe. Thus the guests all congregate together in the church and seating is not delegated to either the bride's side nor the groom's side.
The ceremony is consists of two parts:
- The service of betrothal
- Ceremony of sacrament Of marriage
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Service of betrothal- where the rings are exhanged between the bride and groom. The auspiciousness is reaffirmed with the priest blessing the rings and making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride and groom. The rings are then placed on the third fingers of their right hands. The "Koumbaro", the couple's religious sponsor, then swaps the rings over between the bride and groom's fingers, three times. A number of rituals in the ceremony are repeated three times and this symbolises the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Ceremony of the sacrament of marriage
This Ceremony consists of several key parts. First, several prayers are said and then as they come to an end, the priest joins the right hands of the bride and groom. Their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony, which symbolises the couple's union.
The crowning
The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, or "stefana", which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory and honour that is being bestowed on them by God, and the the ribbon symbolises their unity. The "Koumbaro" then exchanges the crowns between the heads of the couple, three times.
The common cup
The crowning is followed by a reading of the Gospel, which tells of the marriage of Cana at Galilee. It was at this wedding that Jesus performed his first miracle, changing water into wine, which was then given to the married couple. Wine is given to the couple and they each drink from it three times.
The ceremonial walk
The priest the leads the couple, who are still wearing their "stefana", three times around the altar on their first steps as a married couple. The "Koumbaro" follows close behind the couple holding the "stefana" place. At this point the couple (and anyone standing nearby) is usually showered with rice, which was earlier handed out to the wedding guests. The priest will often make use of the Bible he is holding to give himself some protection!
The removal of the crowns
When the Ceremonial Walk has ended, the priest blesses the couple, the crowns are removed and he then separates their previously joined hands with the Bible, reminding them that only God can break the union which they have just entered into.
And remember the traditional Greek Orthodox wedding is not restricted to only people of Greek Diaspora any longer, but in this increasing shrinking global conglomerate many from around the world are congregating to this hub of western civilization and paradise to create and live their dream wedding And remember although the prices may be a little exorbitant to fly to Greece for the nuptials, you'll save in costs on your honeymoon because that's the place to stay after the wedding to enjoy some together time.
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