You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Stefana’ tag.
STEFANOTHINKI BOXES
You can find a Stefanothiki in almost every Greek Orthodox home. Sometimes the Stefana are displayed on the wall above the couples bed and other times they are in a box in the corner of the room.
The Stefanothiki is a box that keeps the Stefana safe and protected and ensures that the wedding crowns do not get damaged or lost.
I was the Koumbara for my sister and her husband last year. I purchased beautiful Stefana for the wedding ceremony however at the time I could not find any nice boxes to put them in.
Daphne Sohos (daphne@vadacreations.com.au) from Vada Creations sells these boxes for approximately $160. I plan to purchase one to give to my Koumbari for their first wedding anniversary.
Vada Creations also sell many other Wedding products such as bonbonerie, lambathes, stefana and trays.
I am interested to know of any other options there are for storing the Stefana after the wedding.
Do you have a Stefana Box?
Do you store your Stefana in a different way?
Related Topics that you might like:
It was my worst fear. I thought I was going to stuff up the Stephana…
I went to a Greek wedding a couple of weeks before my sister’s wedding and the Koumbara Stuffed up the Stephana. It was the Koumbara’s most important role in the whole wedding and she didn’t know what to do.
The Koumbara just couldn’t get her hands the right way. The Priest tried to help but for the thirty seconds of confusion, the entire room of guests broke into laughter.
It funny for the people who were standing inside the Church to watch but it was completley embarrasing for the Koumbara. She had stuffed up the Stephana.
For weeks, I kept playing this over in my mind. I didn’t want to stuff it up. I didn’t want everyone to laugh at me. So i watched a few Greek Wedding videos and I practiced the crossing of the Stephana.
WHAT TO DO:
First, cross your arms. Use your right hand to hold the Stephana of the Bride and your left hand to hold the Stephana of the Groom.
Then, here comes the tricky part… cross your hands over. Before you start, check which arm is on top. If you are right handed then you will probably have your right hand on top. If you are starting with your right hand on top, then simply cross your hands over so that the left hand is on top. Then cross it back and put your right hand on top.
Do this 3 times.
The trick is to put the Bride’s Stephana back on the Bride’s head. It does not touch the Grooms head. This is the same for the Groom. The Grooms Stephana goes back to the Groom and never touches the Brides head.
This is the same practice for crossing the rings.
Here is a pic from my sister’s wedding. Have a look at how my hands cross over.
Did you Stuffed up the Stephana? What happened and what did you do?
This Pink Stefana is by Penny K Design. Click here to be directed to the Penny K Design web site.
The Stefana are Greek Orthodox Wedding Crowns that are used by the Priest and the Koumbari to bless the Bride and Groom during the wedding ceremony.
They are often kept by the Bride and Groom as a souvenir from the wedding. It is important to ensure that the Stefana are made from materials that can be preserved so that the Bride and Groom can keep it for many long years of their marriage.
The Stefana can be made with:
- Semi-precious Stones
- Swarovski Crystals
- Freshwater Pearls
- Glass Beads
The Stefana is traditionally purchased by the Koumbaro/Koumbara and is presented as a gift on the day of the wedding.
Many couples that i know did not get to see their Stefana until the Wedding Day. It was intentionally kept a secret so that the style and look of the Stefana was a surprise.
Personally i think that the Stefana needs to suit the Bride’s dress and her personality. My sister and I went shopping together and i let her choose which Stefana she wanted. It eliminated the surprise but at least i knew that it would fit her and that the design of the crown would suit her dress.
Do you think that the Stefana should be a suprise on the wedding day?
Recent Comments