TRADITIONS

Examining family and cultural traditions and rituals associated with wedding ceremonies; their origin -- variations -- derivation -- ritual -- costume/attire -- history -- nationality

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TRADITIONS

Traditions of Greece

September 19, 2019 • Tom Hirsch • Season 2019 • Episode 12

TRADITIONS

Podcast Show Notes

Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019

Episode: 012

Title: TRADITIONS

Subtitle: Traditions of Greece

Length: 00:18:13

Final Show Link: http://TRADITIONS.buzzsprout.com

In this episode of Traditions we visit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” And a good time was had by all!

If you are a new listener to TRADITIONS, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Feedback@YourSpecialDay2.com and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we examine some of the differences and similarities between getting married in the United States versus wedding ceremonies in Greece. The Aegean Sea has enjoyed far more years ̶ thousands more ̶ to develop and refine their rituals and traditions. But many Greek natives have emigrated to the United States and brought the wealth and beauty of their culture to our shores.

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Q. Have you ever attended a Greek Orthodox wedding? Please share your experience with us.

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Episode #: 012

Publication Date: September 20, 2019

Episode Length: 00:18:13

Host: Tom Hirsch

URL: http://TRADITIONS.buzzsprout.com

Show Transcript: www.Your-Special-Day.net/TRADITIONS/

Your Comments: Tom@Your-Special-Day.net

. . . . . . . and welcome to Episode ̶ 12 of TRADITIONS.

You’ve probably been wondering if I fell off the face of the Earth! No! Just taking a little “breather” to prepare for what I suspect might be another very popular episode.

Episode 11 took us to Australia and I’ve been amazed at the popularity of that entry. In one month, it surpassed every other previous episode. So, I’ve decided to stay in that part of the world for a while and zero in on the Mediterranean - - - specifically - - - well, here’s a hint. Intro Music: Momma Mia

Yup! A lot of people might not be aware of it, but the whole story of Momma Mia was placed at the beaches and towns on the island of Skopelos (Sko’ po-los), located off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea. Many folks would put their money on somewhere in Italy, but there was some sort of conflict with another well-known theatrical performance, so it was all moved eastward.

Today, we’re going to spend our time looking at the rituals and traditions of “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding.” I’m going to be extra careful here to make sure I get these right ̶ understanding that I live just south of Tarpon Springs, Florida that proudly boasts a very large Greek population. Tarpon Springs is also the home of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral where, it is said, no self-respecting hurricane in its right mind would ever dare to approach this most sacred church!

As usual, today’s discussion is loaded with Greek vocabulary that presents its own set of challenges. I’ll try to do as good a job as I can. Please forgive me if I stumble and falter over some of them.

Asking the Parents

Asking the parents, particularly the father, for permission is a traditional practice that spans several cultures. If your daughter is looking to marry a non-Greek, this could pose some difficulties. However, most will still do it if that’s what’s required of them. Once the father gives permission, they are now officially engaged. When there is a wedding in Greece, everybody in the neighborhood or a random passerby will know! Homes of both the bride and groom are lavishly decorated for some time before the big day.

Ancient Greeks celebrated beauty and athleticism through their Olympics and fashions. with loosely draped gowns gathered at the waist and touching the floor. The form-fitting look suggested the sensuality of their gods, and the elegant goddess gown remains popular to this day.

The Greek marriage ceremony itself is an important sacrament for the couple and is loaded with significance and symbolism, guided by the Orthodox wedding officiant and the wedding sponsor, or Koumbaros (Khom bar’ ose). In this special role, a Koumbaros is to the wedding couple what a godparent is to a newly baptized baby and, often, but not always, also serves as the groom’s best man. His female counterpart is the Koumbara.

The ceremony itself is a beautiful act of customs and rituals of the Orthodox Church, unchanged since the 11th century. It lasts 30 to 60 minutes and it has many acts that symbolize beliefs that need to be followed.

Processionals in an Orthodox ceremony are done differently from Western weddings. Typically, the groom waits for the bride at the front of the church with her bouquet. Along with her father, the bride greets the groom here, takes her bouquet and then walks down the aisle with her groom. In more traditional ceremonies the wedding guests will also wait outside for the bride and everyone — the couple and all their guests — enter the church together.

Rings are exchanged at the beginning of the ceremony with the priest blessing both rings before placing them on the third finger of their respective right hands. Performing rituals in threes to symbolize the Holy Trinity is a recurring theme in an Orthodox wedding. Following the blessing, the Koumbaros removes and replaces the rings three times, swapping between the bride and groom to symbolize their pending connection.

Lighting of the Candles

Next the bride and groom are each given one white candle to hold for the remainder of the ceremony. Lighting these candles signals the end of the Betrothal Ceremony and beginning of the Sacrament of Marriage, the second and final stage of the ceremony.

Stefana Crowns

Far from just beautiful decoration, Stefana crowns symbolize the couple’s marriage as a blessing from God. This is a sort of crescendo akin to the exchange of rings in a Western ceremony. The priest places a crown, or Stefana, on both the bride and groom’s heads. The Koumbaros then intertwines the crowns three times to symbolize the couple’s union before the crowns are tied together with a ribbon.

When the priest removes the Stefana from the couple's heads, he says “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” ̶ making it clear that no one should try to split apart these two people.

There is a line in the wedding missal that calls the husband to love his wife as himself and the wife to respect her husband. During weddings spoken in Greek, the phrase has a word that translates to “fear” ̶ so it's humorously perceived as “the woman shall fear her husband.” In Greece when the cantor reads that phrase, everybody present has their eyes on the bride's feet since it's customary for her to step her right foot over the groom's left one (just slightly) to show that she's not afraid of him! Where have we heard that before?

Ceremonial Readings and Drinking

Virtually identical to weddings centuries ago, modern Eastern Orthodox weddings feature a reading of the story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding of Cana. To honor Jesus’ turning water into wine, the couple then sips three times from a “common cup” of wine that has been blessed by the priest.

Ceremonial Walk and Hymns

Now that the couple is almost officially husband and wife, the priest takes them on a half-walk, half-dance, called the “Isaias dance,” around the wedding altar three times as hymns are sung. This joyous act is a celebratory ritual that signifies the couple’s blessings and is also seen as symbol of infinity and the couple’s eternity together. At each turn around the table the couple kisses a cross held by the priest.

Blessings on Blessings on Blessings

The final ritual is the earlier-mentioned removal of the Stefana crowns and a prayer for the newly married couple. Rice is commonly thrown at couples as they exit as a means to wish fertility and wealth on the new family.

Greek Wedding Witness Pins, or Martyrika

Once the ceremony is complete, the Koumbaros will often hand out a tiny lapel pin with a small ribbon to the wedding guests. Traditional Greek wedding colors are white, blue or pink and the pins also have a small cross in the center. These are meant to symbolize the sacrament the wedding guests have just witnessed.

Yuvetsi, Tiropita and Baklava

It wouldn’t be a Greek wedding without lots and lots of food! While there is a rich and diverse selection of homeland foods to choose from, certain dishes seem to always show up on a traditional Greek wedding menu. Yuvetsi is lamb or beef stew with orzo tiropita is a cheese pastry and baklava is, of course, the pastry sweetened with honey and nuts.

Kalamatiano Dance

The Kalamamtiano wedding dance shares the same name as the ancient Greek folk dance, but for a Greek wedding it has a specific meaning. The bride stands in the middle with her Maid of Honor to her immediate left, and the female wedding guests hold hands and encircle the two. Although meant as a women-only celebration, you might see a few guys join in as well.

Zembekiko

The Zembekiko is for the groom, his best man, groomsmen and other men at the reception. It’s a similar circle dance as the Kalamatiano and it’s customary for those who aren’t joining in to kneel and clap along to the music while the groom dances.

The Dollar Dance

Once the wedding reception is in full swing, a traditional dollar dance will probably ensue. One of the many customs brought from Greece, this is a playful dance between the newlywed couple that is rewarded by guests tossing dollar bills onto the dance floor or pinning them onto the couple’s attire. It’s totally optional for guests and is not a substitute for wedding gifts, but rather a fun, symbolic way to congratulate the couple on their new marriage.

Jordan Almonds or Bombonieria

For your guests, the tradition of handing out candy-coated almonds as a wedding favor is one of the many memorable aspects of a Greek wedding. This enduring wedding tradition is called bombonieria and has been associated with Eastern Orthodox weddings for more than three millennia. The salty-sweet combination symbolizes life’s ups and downs and the hope that there will be more sweet than bitter. Couples typically give an odd number of almonds in each favor to note the indivisible power of their marriage with five being the most traditional number. Each almond symbolizes their hopes for their life: health, happiness, fertility, wealth and a long life.

Superstitions

The Wedding Date!

According to tradition, there are dates during the year that are considered good luck and others that should be avoided at all costs.

Dates to be avoided include:

The first two weeks of August devoted to the Virgin Mary
The 40 days of Lent before Easter.
August 29, marking the death of Saint John the Baptist.
September 14, which is the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Anytime in the 40 days leading up to Christmas.

January and June are considered good months. In ancient times January was the month dedicated to the wife of Zeus, Hera, ̶ the goddess of marriage and fertility. June became a special month after the Romans translated Hera to Juno and dedicated the sixth month of the year to her.

The Marital Bed

Friends and family members come into the soon-to-be-wed couple’s home to prepare their bed! Some families still go through the ritual of making up the marital bed, while others eschew the idea.

Prosperity and putting down roots are symbolized by throwing money and rice into the bed, and then a baby is rolled on the bed to bless it with fertility. The superstitious believe the newlywed’s first baby will be a girl or boy, depending upon which they roll on the bed!

WOW! Talk about flying in the face of science! What ever happened to X and Y chromosomes?

Dressing the Couple

The koumbaro will shave the groom on the morning of the ceremony to signify trust. Then the close friends step in to help to dress him. The koumbara leads the bridal party to the bride to help her get dressed and ready for the ceremony. The koumbaro and koumbara will go on to become the godparents of the couple’s first child.

The names of all of the single ladies are written on the bottom of the bride’s right shoe and tradition has it that the names that are worn off by the end of the reception will soon get married.

Symbols of Good Luck

Placing a lump of sugar inside the bride’s glove is said to ensure a sweet life and adding a gold coin to the inside of her shoe will bring good financial fortune. We’ve seen the “coin in the shoe” tradition in several of the countries we’ve visited so far.

Iron is said to ward off evil spirits throughout the day. So, the groom puts a piece in his pocket! Remember the “horseshoe” carried by the Irish bride?

Couples invite an odd number of guests and invite an odd number of attendants to stand beside them. Again ̶ odd numbers cannot be divided and they’re considered good luck. The number three representing the holy trinity – the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is especially symbolic as we saw earlier with the “Isaias dance” during the marriage ceremony.

A tradition dating back to ancient times is to spit after offering congratulations or compliments to the couple. Today guests mimic ‘the act’ of spitting – blowing a puff of breath through pursed lips ̶ but don’t douse anyone with saliva!. Due to the rule of threes, ‘spitting’ three times brings greater luck.

Two ancient traditions rarely in practice these days are the Smashing of Plates and Bestowal of the Bride’s Dowry. The former has gone out of favor primarily for concerns of safety while the latter, sometimes still found in small, rural villages, has given way to modern shopping.

THE CELEBRATION

Last but not least, the wedding celebration and dinner, like almost everything in Greece, is loud – really loud! With LOTS of dancing. If you have seen the My Big Fat Greek Wedding movies, then you know what I'm talking about! Dancing Queen There is so much joy and enthusiasm in the air that the Greeks express through singing, dancing, and speaking loudly! It's amazing how the Greeks can dance in circles for hours non-stop. The bride and groom dance first, followed by their parents and closest relatives, who, by turns, lead the dance. At some weddings, the groom's parents and relatives start the first dance with the bridegroom. The second dance is for the bride's parents and their relatives. Again, the koumparos or koumpara are important figures as they get to join the dance, no matter who leads it!

All brides are beautiful! And the ladies of Greece are right up there among the best. Who can resist the charm and grace of a “blushing bride” celebrating the day of her dreams surrounded by all the people she has known and loved for so long?

And THIS has been Episode 12 of TRADITIONS.

Resources:

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/orthodox-wedding-ceremony-ideas

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/greek-wedding-traditions

https://www.wedaways.com/11-greek-wedding-traditions-we-love/

https://www.easyweddings.com.au/articles/greek-wedding-traditions/

https://www.nvphotographers.com/greek-wedding-traditions/

https://www.manhattanbride.com/insights/greek/

https://www.greekboston.com/wedding/marriage-customs/

https://www.greekboston.com/customs/

https://www.beau-coup.com/greek-wedding-traditions.htm

https://www.buzzfeed.com/georgiebradley/greek-weddings