Added: 05/09/2007 |
Is There A Greek Wedding In Your Future?Wedding ceremonies sometimes are boring activities. However, if you want to witness an exciting marriage, go Greek. Greek weddings are exciting throughout, from the entering of the church to the leaving of the reception many hours later. So much exciting tradition surrounds these ethnic events.
Bring dancing shoes and a hearty appetite because the reception is the place for them at a Greek style wedding.
The family of a Greek baby girl begins thinking about the daughter’s future wedding from birth. The females in the family begin preparing a dowry for the wedding, which is far into the future. Although it is now illegal, in some areas of Greece, when the girl and her groom have decided to marry, a dowry contract is still designed. It gives the details of gifts given to the bride upon her marriage.
In some parts of Greece, especially around the Island of Rhodes, the girl’s father’s obligation is to provide a house for his daughter and her future husband to live in when they are married. He begins these preparations while his daughter is quite young.
A traditional Greek wedding ceremony usually lasted three days and was made up of lots of ceremonial activities. Nowadays, some of these ceremonies are modernized and do not take as much time. Usually, in Orthodox Greek ceremonies, the groom asks the bride’s father for permission to marry her. This is done on the wedding day. The best man, chosen by the groom, is generally in charge of the activities for the wedding day. He, along with a priest, escorts the bride and groom to the church and places golden crowns on their heads during the ceremony.
An elaborate reception follows the official marriage ceremony. This party is usually loud and lasts most of the night. There is dancing, drinking, the breaking of dishes on purpose for good luck, and the serving of koufeta and other foods to the guests.
Because Greek weddings are formal and grandiose affairs, they are expensive and time-consuming to plan. Both the bride and the groom get in on the planning. The ceremony itself is far more interesting than the ceremonies of other ethnic groups. One will not become bored during a wedding ceremony in Greece. Lots of color and activity attest to that.
The reception usually has a large number of guests. Even if one plans on fewer numbers of guests, the food and wine costs are significant. The band is hired for all night so there is music and dancing until the morning hours. People come to have fun so dancing and drinking are high points of this party. The reception is expensive, but it adds to the memory of a Greek wedding and reception that people will not forget.
As mentioned above, Greek weddings are now celebrated all over the world, from Canada to Australia, from Hollywood to Greece itself. These ceremonies may be either civil or religious. If religious, the couple may choose either a Catholic or Orthodox Greek service, as long as at least one of them is a member of the chosen religion.
Wherever there is a Greek wedding, there is a blowout to help the couple remember the beginning their lives together. That is why many people choose to “Go Greek”.
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