The Beginning of the Wedding
Wedding guests wait with the groom outside the church until the bride comes
Service of Betrothal
The wedding ceremony has 2 parts: the Service of Betrothal and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. The bride and groom exchange rings during the Service of Betrothal. The priest blesses the rings by holding them in his right hand and making the sign of the cross over the bride and groom. The bride and grooms rings go on third fingers of their right hands. The Koumbaro, the couple’s religious sponsor, swaps the rings between the bride and groom’s fingers, 3 times. May rituals are repeated three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity.
Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
First, several prayers are said. As the prayers come to an end, the priest joins the bride's and groom's right hands. They hold hands until the end of the wedding ceremony.
The Crowning
The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns with white ribbon, which the priest has blessed.The bride’s and groom’s crowns are linked by a silk ribbon, showing that the bride and groom are queen and king of their home.The best man, called the "Koumbaro" exchanges the crowns between the heads of the couple, three times.
Drinking from the Common Cup
Next is a reading of the Gospel, telling of the marriage of Cana at Galilee. Jesus is believed to have performed his first miracle at this wedding by changing water into wine. The bride and groom dring from a wine glass three times.
Taking the Ceremonial Walk
The priest the leads the couple three times around the altar to take on their first steps as husband and wife. The Koumbaro follows. At this time people thow rice at the couple.
Removing the Crowns
The priest blesses the couple at the end of the Ceremonial Walk. The crowns are taken off. The preist seperates the bride's and groom's hands with the bible, reminding them that only God can break their union.
Emmanuel Mendonca is the webmaster of Greece Travel Articles - a source of interesting articles and information about visiting, living and working in Greece.
More Greek Traditions
The bride carriers a lump of sugar in her glove for a sweet life.
During the reception, dancers circle the bride. Another custom is to throw money and break dishes for good luck.
As they leave, all gests get almond candies covered in white chocolate called “bom bom yara.” There is always an odd number of candies in each package.
