The Niffi knew her future husbands parents but this would be the first time that she would officially meet them. It was an important moment for the family and for the Niffi so that they could start off their new relationship on the right foot.

The Niffi did exactly that… she made her first step into the house with her right foot. The mother-in-law wrapped a white shawl around her head and helped her and guided her in through the front door and then around the house.

This was a tradition that was passed down through the generations and a lovely way to welcome the Niffi into the family.

Please share some of your experiences and how you were welcomed into the family.

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How to Have a Traditional Greek Wedding by Norman Kolpas describes some traditions such as the Baby-Rolling Ceremony, Stephana and the Money Dance. He also writes about a tradition that I have never heard of before. This is called the Flamboro.

Apparently the Flamboro is when family and friends seek out a tree branch which has five twigs. An apple and red wool is tied to the twig and this is displayed outside the home of the bride for a week before the wedding. This twig becomes a ‘wedding flag’.

Before the wedding ceremony, the flamboro is detached from its spot outside the bride’s home and carried to the groom’s home. It is then carried in front of the groom to lead him back to his bride’s home. The brides mother welcomes and blesses the future son-in-law with wine, a ring-shaped cookie, and an herbal bombonniere.

Read more at Suite101: How to Have a Traditional Greek Wedding: Greek Marriage Traditions Help Ensure a Memorable Wedding Day

Can anyone tell me more about the traditions of the Flamboro? Is this tradition still practiced in Greece or by Greeks anywhere else in the world?

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My earliest memories of my Yaiyai is of her sitting in her chair sewing Greek doilies for all her grand-daughters who will one day be beautiful niffis. “They are for your proika” she would say, and then mum would tell me that i wouldn’t get them until i was married.

So what is a proika anyway?

Some people call it a Glory Box or and others know it as a Dowry. It can be an actual box that the bride takes with her when she is married, or just a name given to all of the stuff (tea towels, linen etc) that you get before you are married. I have attached a picture of my glory box which was once my mothers. It is a large hand-carved wooden box full of things that i am collecting for when i move out of home.

Gia from It’s All Greek To Me has written in her blog about the use of a dowry in a traditional Greek wedding:

“The Wednesday before the wedding is the day the bride invites her relatives to get the dowry ready. For those of you who do not know about dowries, basically they are made up of the linen for the new couple’s home, which the bride’s mother has collected over the years, while waiting for her daughter to marry. The bride’s sisters, friends and cousins separate the linen and tie it up in small parcels with colourful ribbons and again people arrive to gaze upon the beautiful bedding, the handmade tablecloths, the colourful towels, the expensive carpets that are all set up in one room for all to see.”

There is also an interesting history about dowry’s on wikipedia you may like to read. It explains in detail the purpose of a dowry how it has changed over time and how it is used differently in other cultures.

Do you have a Proika? What does it look like and what does it have inside?

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