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Weddings the Greek Orthodox Way |
by:
Emmanuel Mendonca |
The wedding service in the Greek Orthodox faith is an ancient also beautiful ceremony, which has been celebrated in its current form for centuries. The wedding ceremony is full of symbolism also is a great experience if you have never attended one before, because it is likely to be quite different from other weddings you have attended in Western Europe. The service is or else rather unique because the bride also groom do not make vows to each other – their presence together in the church is taken to mean that they are serious about getting married. There are no wedding rehearsals also the ceremony usually has a very relaxed atmosphere - guests take photos whenever they want to also often chat quietly among themselves throughout the ceremony.
The Beginning of the Wedding
In most cases the wedding guests will wait with the groom outside the church until the bride arrives (a few sneaky wedding pros will go into the church early to secure a good seat). In the Summer, when most weddings take place, it is not unusual for ceremonies to be arranged back to back, so the guests attending a marriage will often stand around with those who have just attended the previous wedding are ready to leave. Wedding dress commentators among the crowd will get to consider also discuss at least two brides also maybe even a third as they leave the church – bargain! Meanwhile, the groom waits for the bride at the entrance to the church, often holding her floral bouquet. He hands it to her as they meet also they then go inside together followed by the guests. There is no separation of the guests into guests of the bride also guests of the groom – everyone sits together also in the case of small churches, many people prefer to stand in a spot where they can get a good view of the proceedings.
Service of Betrothal
The wedding ceremony itself is in two parts: the Service of Betrothal also the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. The exchanging of rings is the focus of the Service of Betrothal. The priest blesses the rings by holding them in his right hand also making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride also 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 also groom’s fingers, three times. A number of rituals in the ceremony are repeated three times also this symbolises the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son also the Holy Spirit.
Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
This Ceremony consists of several key parts. First, several prayers are said also then as they come to an end, the priest joins the right hands of the bride also groom. Their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony, which symbolises the couple’s union.
The Crowning
The bride also groom are crowned with thin crowns, or "stefana", which are joined by a white ribbon also have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory also honour that is being bestowed on them by God, also 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 also 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 also 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.
Wedding traditions
Unfortunately, a lot of the information available on Greek Orthodox wedding traditions is a little outdated also contains generalisations that give the impression that certain traditions are followed by everyone who gets married. Some of these traditions are set out below.
- The baking of bread also cakes containing coins.
- Rolling a baby on the marital bed to encourage fertility.
- The throwing of money onto the marital bed.
- The pinning of money onto the bride (and sometimes or else the groom) at the wedding reception.
Although these rituals are seen as traditional, fewer also fewer young people marrying today are following them, because they are seen as old-fashioned. Many people do not wish to put their guests through the ordeal of other people being able to see how much money they pin on the bride, for example. Although money is still a very common, as well as practical, wedding present it is often given to the couple before the wedding day or to a third person at the wedding reception, for safe-keeping. Greeks living in the more remote parts of Greece also abroad, who will naturally feel more strongly about doing things the traditional way, are more likely to follow these traditions than those living in Athens, for example. Like weddings in many places, Greek weddings are changing. At the time of writing, there is a growing fashion to go also get married on an island also I recently heard someone say that he was looking into getting married in a ski resort. He was wisely advised by a friend: “You had better first ask the priest if he wants to perform a marriage up a mountain”!
About the author:
Emmanuel Mendonca is the webmaster also publisher of Athens Room at http://www.athensroom.com- a free service for finding also advertising property for rent in Athens, with a wealth of information about visiting, living also working in Greece.
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