Greek feasts and traditions
Wedding in Greece
A wedding in Greece is a huge event for both the newlyweds and their entire family. The Greek family, unlike our Czech one, does not consist of five, six, seven members, but even fifty or a hundred people. That's why the whole celebration is prepared a long time in advance. It can take a whole year to invite so many guests and arrange everything to perfection and the smallest details.
A girl brings not only good manners to her marriage, but also a lot of equipment, which quite commonly includes, for example, an apartment or a house. The young honour the old, and it is a matter of course for them to take care of their parents or grandparents. Even a union as sacred as a wedding is not shunned by traditions and customs. According to them, the equipment is displayed in one room of the bride's house. This is then visited by everyone, known and unknown, friends and neighbours, to see what a proper Greek outfit should look like. For many parents of unmarried girls this is certainly a good inspiration. Tradition also dictates that all visitors to the "exhibition" bring a cup of rice and a cup of sugar. Sugar for a sweet life and rice for fertility.
The ceremony takes place in a Greek Orthodox church in the early evening and the newlyweds receive gifts of money and jewelry. On the day of the wedding, the bride dresses with the assistance of her friends and women of her family and is hidden from the groom, who is only allowed to see her just before the ceremony. During the ceremony, the witness and the witnesses called "kumbaros" and "kumbara" present the bride and groom with blessed rings and cross the stefana (wreaths) over their heads three times in succession and then place them on their heads. During the first marital steps the newlyweds take together in front of the invited guests around the marriage table, they are sprinkled with rice and candies containing almonds in a sugar coating called kufeta.