Embracing Greek wedding traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.

The Red Scarf Blessing ~ A Cypriot Tradition

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Sia Aristidou

The Red scarf blessing or Zosimo (ζώσιμο), as it is called in Greek, is a ritual performed at the bride’s home on the wedding day.

When the bride is dressed and ready, her parents, grandparents and other relatives, just before they all start their way to the church for the wedding ceremony, they will say goodbye to the bride and give her their blessing. The father of the bride will cross a red scarf three times around the bride’s waist and her head as a way to symbolize fertility and then they will use a censer to bless her and to protect her from the evil eye. During the red scarf blessing the musicians (usually with a lute and a violin) used to sing:

“Φωνάξετε τον τζιύρη της να την ισφυκτοζώσει , τζιαι την ευτζιήν του που καρκιάς σήµερα να της δώσει.”

“Call her father to tie her tight with the scarf and give her his blessing from his heart”

Then it’s the mother of the bride’s turn to give her blessing and cross the scarf around her daughter’s waist. The musicians sing the same song, but they are calling for the mother this time

“Φωνάξετε της µάνας της, νάρτει να την ιζώσει τζιαι να της δώσει την ευτζιήν τζιαί να την παραδώσει.”

”Call her mother to come and tie her, to give her her blessing and give her away”

Watch this video and catch a glimpse of the mother of the bride crossing the scarf around her daughter’s waist on 3:51

Similar preparations are done in the groom’s house where he is shaved by the koumbaros accompanied by the singing of the musicians. When the groom is ready his parents bless him by crossing the red scarf around his waist too, and then all together begin their way to the bride’s house, and after that both families unite and head to the church with lots of singing and dancing along the way.

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Did you have a scarf blessing at your wedding day?
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Source: http://kopiaste.wordpress.com/

Panta Aksii – May You Be Worthy Koumbari

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Sia Aristidou

The Bride and Groom with their Koumbari at a Greek orthodox church

John & Anna’s Wedding ~ 1st June 2013 ~ The Bride and Groom with their Koumbari

My husband and I were honoured to be koumbari for John and Anna last weekend. We did all of the things that koumbari are expected to do: organise the stefana, the lambathes and the bomboniere (all beautiful products that I purchased from The Greek Wedding Shop).

We planed the pre wedding parties like the Kitchen Tea, the Hens Night and of course the boys had their Bucks Night too. We paid our fees to the Church, to the Priest and to the Pslalti. We pinned money on the bride and groom during their first dance and we prepared our speech for the night. The role of Koumbari carries with it a lot of responsibility (as well as a lot of expense). But it is all worth it, because as koumbari you hold an important part of the couple’s life. It is a role that is life long and one that you must be worthy of.

Just after the Church ceremony, the Bride and the Groom along with the whole bridal party waited in line at the alter for the guests to come up and give their greetings. Each guest kissed us on both cheeks and then they would say “Panta Aksii”.

I didn’t know what this meant as I don’t speak much Greek and it had not been translated to English. It was the first time that I have heard of the saying. After a little bit of research, I discovered that the saying Panta Aksii (πάντα άξιοι) means:

‘May you be worthy as Koumbari’

My husband and I replied with ‘Thank You’ and continued to kiss each guest on both cheeks as they went down the line.

Koumbari have an important role in the couple’s life together. It is a role that one must be worthy of.

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In your opinion, what makes a koumbara/os worthy?
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Let the Wife Fear Her Husband

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Greek Weddings and Traditions

“Η δε γυνή να φοβήται τον άνδρα” (i de gini na fovite ton andra)
“Let the wife fear her husband”

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This phrase is heard at the end of the apostolic reading St. Paul addressed to the Ephesians. This is the moment in a Greek wedding everyone is waiting for, as traditionally, many wives step on their husband’s foot to show in a playful way that they will not be going down easily!

In older days many mistakenly believed that the Apostle Paul with this phrase advise every woman to “tremble” and obey without objection their husbands. This is how the stepping of the foot of the man by the woman has become a tradition, as a way of the new wife to state that she will not succumb. In fact this phrase means that the woman should respect and consider her husband, besides earlier the priest gives instructions to the man and how he should love his wife as to be himself and to sacrifice for her if needed.

Today it is just a funny moment, were the wife steps on the man’s foot giggling, or sometimes even the man steps on the wife’s foot just to catch her off guard!

Antonakis k Elenitsa at the old Greek movie “Let the wife fear her husband”

This is a caption of Antonakis k Elenitsa at the old Greek movie “Let the wife fear her husband”, at the scene where Elenitsa steps on Antonakis foot.

The story of this movie is about a couple living together without marriage for many years and the man plays the dominant role in the relationship. But once married, power relations reversed and the woman claiming equal or more dominant role, responding to the model of a married woman who manages the “household” and social relations. The reversal is however very sharp, to be readily accepted by her husband, and within a few hours the marriage ends in divorce. No, no, it’s actually a funny movie and yes, it has a happy end!

Take a look at the movie’s advertisement on TV! You may not speak Greek but you can understand Elenitsa’s tone of voice before and after the wedding! Listen to the priest on 0:20 telling the wife to fear her husband.

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Would you step on your husband’s foot if you were in a similar position?
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The Number of Koufeta in Bomboniere

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Greek Weddings and Traditions

bomboniere with koufeta (wedding favour)

Organza bag with black ribbon at the Greek Wedding shop

Koufeta are sweet sugar almonds that are traditionally used as wedding bomboniere (wedding favours) for the guests at a Greek wedding. The Koumbaro/The Best Man will usually purchase the koufeta as one of their gifts to the Bride and Groom on their wedding day. People often ask about the number of koufeta that should be used inside the bomboniere and why it is said that it should only be an odd number. Here are some interesting facts about the number of koufeta in bomboniere:

Why do we choose odd numbers for the koufeta?

The Greeks use an odd number of koufeta in the bonbonerie and on the wedding tray because an odd number is not divisible by 2. This represents the idea that the number can not be divided as so, the new couple will never be divided or brake up.

Why should the number of koufeta be a prime number?

The koufeta within the bonbonierie should be a prime number, namely: 1,2,3,5,7,11,13,17 because prime numbers are divisible only by unit -1 – by themselves and no other number. The unit -1 – symbolizes that only one thing, death, can separate the couple and the division of the numbers by themselves symbolizes the fact that the wife and husband themselves and their egos can bring their union into separation.

How many koufeta should be used?

The wedding bonbonierie is traditionally composed of an odd number of koufeta 3-5-7-9-11 . The most common number is 7, as are the Divine Mysteries of the Church.

Others say that the number of koufeta should just be 5, symbolizing health, joy, fertility, prosperity and longevity.

Continue reading →

Kira Sarakosti – an Old Greek Easter Tradition

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Greek Weddings and Traditions

Kira Sarakosti ~ Lady Lent. Taken from http://prosdokian.blogspot.gr/

A Greek custom that has almost been lost is that of Kira Sarakosti, Lady Lent. This is a custom associated with the celebration of Easter that nowadays has almost disappeared, while formerly you could find it throughout Greece with different variations, as Kira Sarakosti was used as a calendar that counted the weeks of Lent.

Kira Sarakosti, is a small figure, a paper drawing or sometimes baked of bread dough, which features something really unusual: a lady that looks like a nun who has seven legs and her hands are folded as if in prayer. Lady Lent’s seven legs each represent one week of the fasting period, from Clean Monday to the Holy Week. There is a cross on her forehead representing her religious beliefs and she has no mouth, indicating that she can’t eat because she is fasting.

Lady Lent was used as a calendar of Lent all over Greece in the older days, and each week, starting on Saturday (after Clean Monday) Greeks used to cut one leg off. The last leg was cut on Holy Saturday. This leg, this small piece of paper, was folded well and hid within a dried fig or walnut (in the region of Chios), which was placed along with other fruits. Whoever found it was considered lucky (gourlis). In some areas, the seventh leg was squeezed inside the bread of Resurrection, and was considered to bring luck to whoever found it.

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Are there any old, dying customs that you still remember?
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Source: http://prosdokian.blogspot.gr

The Greek Custom of Protomagia ~ The May Flower Wreath

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Greek Weddings and Traditions

It is May 1st today and Greece is celebrating Spring. The custom of Protomagia (May 1st) has its roots in ancient Greece and it celebrates Spring and nature with a flower festival.

Maios (May) the last month of Spring took its name from the Goddess Maja, a goddess who took her name from the ancient word Maia, the nurse and mother. May, according to Greek folklore, has two meanings: The good and the bad, rebirth and death. The custom celebrates the final victory of the summer against winter as the victory of the life against death go back at the ancient years and accumulated at the first day of May. This day was also dedicated to the goddess of agriculture Dimitra and her daughter Persephone, who this day emerges from the under world and comes to earth. Her coming to earth from Hades marks the blooming of nature and the birth of summer.

Another ancient celebration that Protomagia has its roots is Anthestiria, a celebration in honor of Dionysos (the Greek God of theater and parties) a festival of souls, plants and flowers, celebrating the rebirth of man and nature.

The Greek Custom of Protomagia ~ The May flower wreath

The May flower wreath, taken from ikatina.blogspot.gr

The custom of May 1st is to decorate the doors of houses with flower wreaths in a way to welcome the power of nature into our home. The wreath is made from various flowers, handpicked and knitted together. In some parts of Asia Minor, people put on each wreath, except flowers, a garlic for the evil eye, a thorn to protect the house from enemies and an ear for good harvest. The wreaths adorn the doors of the houses until the day of St. John the Harvester (June 24) when all the wreaths of the neighborhood are gathered and burnt in a big fire, the fire of the saint.

Today is the day we celebrate nature’s beauty and its freshness. Cut flowers from the fields and weave a colorful wreath, hang it outside your house door and welcome the power of nature and its blessing inside your home. Happy 1st of May!

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Did you make your flower wreath this year?
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Source: www.nooz.gr/greece/ta-e8ima-tis-protomagias