100% Greek Wedding Customs
By Sheila Stone
A Greek couple becomes engaged by exchanging rings in the presence of family and friends. After the engagement there is always a feast. This ceremony is considered as binding as the wedding.
A Greek couple becomes engaged by exchanging rings in the presence of family and friends. After the engagement there is always a feast. This ceremony is considered as binding as the wedding.
A favorite tradition is the baby-rolling ceremony on the matrimonial bed. This isn't quite as outrageous as it sounds (thank goodness!). Babies of friends and family are placed on the mattress and gently rolled from side to side. The bed is also strewn with rose petals, coins and sugar-coated almonds (called koufetta) to bring fertility and prosperity to the couple.
The making of the wedding flag or flamboro marks the beginning of the wedding week. A branch ending with five twigs is found first. Then an apple is tied to one branch and tufts of red wool are other four twigs. This is put up at the bride's home until the wedding day.
The wedding procession is begun at the groom's house where the wedding flag is raised. Then the flag bearer leads the group proceeds to the bride's home where the bride's mother greets the groom. She greets him with a glass of wine, a ring-shaped biscuit and a boutonniere of herbs for his label. He pins the herbs to his lapel, kisses her hand and asks for her blessing. She gives her blessing by kissing him on both cheeks. She may also touch his neck with incense and give him embatikion, a gift to symbolize that his is now a part of the family.
The groom may present his bride with her bouquet at the wedding site.
Greek Orthodox weddings are always on Sunday. They aren't performed after Easter and Christmas, during periods of fasting and the day preceding a Holy Day. Vows aren't exchanged because marriage is considered a union between two people in love, not a contractual agreement.
Two loaves of bread are bakes, decorated with flowers and tied together with a white ribbon, separated by a bottle of wine. When the couple enters the ceremony site, the ribbon is cut. They take three sips of wine and circle the altar three times while the guests throw rice or sugared almonds.
The ceremony in Greek Orthodox weddings in divided into two parts: the Betrothal and the Crowning. The Betrothal Service consists of blessing the rings over the heads of the bride and groom. Then they are exchanged three times by their Koumbaros or best man. The Crowning is the main part of the ceremony where the couple is crowned by garland wreaths, vines wrapped in silver or gold paper or even crowns made of semi-precious stones and metals. A white ribbon symbolizing unity joins the crowns. The crowns are packed in a special box after the ceremony. By ancient custom they are to stay with the couple for life - some couples are even buried in them.
Charms (traditionally in the form of a small eye) are worn by the attendants to protect the bridal party from bad luck. The bride may also put a lump of sugar in her glove for a sweet marriage. Ivy may be carried by the bride as a symbol of never-ending love.
Wedding bands are traditionally worn on the right hand, not the left.
The bride may throw a pomegranate instead of the bouquet. The many seeds symbolize fertility because of all the seeds.
After the ceremony, the group heads to the groom's house where the flag is once again raised. The bride throws a piece of old iron to the roof to symbolize the strength of her new home.
At the reception, plates are broken on the dance floor (or some other hard surface) for good luck. A member of the immediate family begins and others quickly join in with much yelling and laughing as the plates shatter.
The Rings
The rings are blessed by the celebrant who takes them in his hand and, making the sign of the cross over the heads of the couple, says, "The Servant of God, Demetrios (Derek) , is betrothed to the handmaiden of God, Elpitha (Laura), in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The best man, or koumbaro then exchanges the rings three times, taking Laura's ring and placing it on Derek's finger and vice-versa. The rings, of course, are the symbol of betrothal from the most ancient times. The exchange signifies that in married life a weakness of the one partner will be compensated for by a strength of the other, the imperfection of one by the perfection of the other. By themselves, the newly-betrothed are incomplete - together they are made perfect. Thus the exchange of the rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will constantly be complementing each other. Each will be enriched by the union.
The Candles
The wedding service begins immediately following the Betrothal Service. The bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. They are like the lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible who, because they had enough oil in them, were able to receive the Bridegroom, Christ, when He came in the darkness of the night. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, who will bless them through this sacrament.
The Joining of the Right Hands
The right hand of the bride and groom are joined when the celebrant reads the prayer that beseeches God "to join your servants, unite them in one mind and one flesh." The hands are kept joined throughout the service to symbolize the "oneness" of the couple.
The Crowning
The office of the crowning, which follows, is the climax of the wedding service. The crowns of the wedding service. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns them during the sacrament. The groom and the bride are crowned as the king and queen of their own little kingdom, the home, which they will rule with wisdom, justice, and integrity. When the crowning takes place, the celebrant takes the crowns and places them on the heads of the bride and groom saying, "O Lord, our God, crown them with glory and honor." The koumbaro, then exchanges the crowns three times.
The Common Cup
The rite of crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by Christ, and for which He reserved His first miracle. There He converted water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds in remembrance of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. This is the "common cup" of life, denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony.
The Ceremonial Walk
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The celebrant then leads the couple in a circle around the table on which are placed the Gospel and the Cross. The husband and wife are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, in the person of the clergy, leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle at the center of which are the Gospel and Cross of the Lord. This expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around the center of life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. During this ceremonial walk around the table a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage, a love that seeks not its own but is willing to sacrifice its all for the one loved.
The Blessing
The couple return to their places and the celebrant, blessing the groom says, "Be magnified, O Bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as was Jacob. Go your way in peace, performing in righteousness the commandments of God." And blessing the bride he says, "And you, O bride, be magnified as was Sarah, and glad as Rebecca, and increase as Rachel, rejoicing in your husband, keeping the paths of the law, for so God is well-pleased."
Source: www.derekandlaura.com and Shelia Stone
