Characteristics of Greek weddings

Nowadays, weddings with religious color, secular charm and local characteristics are very popular among Greeks, leaving a deep impression on people.

For a long time, in Greece, only weddings held in churches were recognized as legal marriages. Since the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece in 1832, the Orthodox Church has been regarded as the state religion of Greece. 100 years ago, the church has been an unchangeable place for Greek men and women to hold weddings. The state also announced by law that only a wedding in a church can be legally recognized. However, since the 1970s, the influence of the Orthodox Church in Greece has been declining, and the call for secular weddings has been growing. In July 1982, the Greek government issued a decree declaring that secular marriage and religious marriage have the same legal status, thus ending the traditional practice that only religious marriage is legal in Greece for more than 50 years.

Traditional wedding dresses and wedding rings are still very popular. There are all kinds of wedding dresses now. Especially according to the different wedding themes, Greeks don't have to wear wedding dresses to hold weddings. But if they choose a wedding dress, they will still choose the most traditional style, with a veil and a crown on their heads to make the bride look as beautiful as the holy and dignified Athena. The groom's clothes are relatively simple, just a black, silver or white suit.

For the choice of wedding rings, people still prefer traditional diamond rings and wedding rings. Carve the other person's name on the inside of the ring to show the loyalty of love. When Greeks choose wedding rings, they usually choose both men and women. For the texture of the ring, there are still many newcomers who choose gold.

According to Greek custom, it is not suitable to hold a joint wedding in a week except Tuesday and Friday, but the ideal wedding day is after five o'clock on the weekend.

From two or three weeks before the wedding, the bride should not only be busy preparing for the wedding, but also receive relatives and friends who come home one after another to give gifts. One of the characteristics of Greek weddings is that all the preparations before marriage are arranged by the woman. Among them, the layout of the new house is very interesting: the bride makes the bed with brand-new white sheets embroidered by hand, and then invites relatives and friends to throw gold, coins and rice on the couple's bed, wishing them prosperity and long marriage. In addition, several children were allowed to jump and play on the bed that day, wishing the bride "an early birth". On the wedding day, the bride's best friends should go to the bride's house early to help, because they have to help put on the dress.

It is a Greek tradition to give gifts to newlyweds, and the amount of gifts depends on the intimacy of the relationship. Nowadays, many newcomers would rather accept cash than gifts. However, this is still a very sensitive issue, which is usually discussed only in private. Moreover, guests don't know the kind of gifts or the amount of cash, which can also avoid embarrassment between them. Sometimes wedding invitations are accompanied by a list of gifts. The couple will list the items they need, let the guests buy them in designated stores, or put a certain amount into their bank cards.

In the wedding ceremony, the crown on the head of the bride and groom is provided by the bridesmaid or the best man, and it is made of Kobanawa pearls, which represents the promise of both parties, so it must be preserved for life. In Greece, bridesmaids and groomsmen are usually the best friends of the bride or groom. In addition to providing crowns, they are also responsible for the layout of the church and the candy for relatives and friends after the wedding.

The wedding was held in the church. The priest puts wedding rings on the bride and groom, and the bridesmaid or groomsman draws three circles on the crown on the bride's head. Then, the priest asked the groom to hold the bride's hand and feed them the Eucharist and the holy wine symbolizing the precious blood of Jesus three times, so that the groom and the bride could complete the ceremony and start a new life. When the newlyweds walk out of the church and board the limousine, relatives and friends will sprinkle rice on their heads and wish them a happy and everlasting marriage.

Wedding banquets are usually held in courtyards or hotels where flowers are blooming and fragrant. The guests chatted over drinks and frequently raised glasses to congratulate the newlyweds. During the wedding reception, the artists played cheerful wedding dance music, and the guests left one after another to dance with the bride and groom. According to Greek custom, after the wedding banquet, there will be a carnival, and everyone dances heartily, including folk dances and ballroom dances. Jumping happily, someone lifted the porcelain plate and fell to the ground. People shouted "Oba" and dozens of plates were thrown at a wedding. In Greek, "Let's fall" means "Let's be happy", and the carnival ends at midnight.