Dating traditions in greece

Dating traditions in greece


How Greek Traditions Work

A complete guide of how the Greek wedding traditions are still relevant to couples getting married in the UK, the US and other diaspora countries, respecting their heritage in a contemporary way. There are numerous traditions that come in stages with every stage having its own process, meaning, and symbolisation according to customs and religion rituals. Passing on our valuable heritage, one way or another, is important, and we all feel it deep in our souls.

On a wedding, the photographers and videographers are the only vendors who follow the couple from the begging to the end of their big day. That means they are the lucky ones who collect great experience and wedding knowledge. This is just a small sample of an year professional life as a Greek wedding photographer , highlighting the breadth and wealth of the Greek culture!

The rich Greek folklore is meant to add traditional elements to a wedding and not overwhelm the couple and their families with too much stress. Unlike what was believed in the past — that if something is not done as the ancestors dictated then the wedding was doomed to fail — people have finally convinced themselves that tradition is there to make things happier and merrier, not harder.

Engagement Rings It is very likely for a Greek couple to exchange engagement rings prior the wedding. In the previous years, if a woman was seen hanging out with a man, especially in the evening hours, she was criticised by society and considered a woman with no values. To restore the girl's reputation, the man seen with her should give a wedding promise. That promise was an engagement ceremony, where the couple exchanged engagement rings and wore them on their left ring finger.

Today, couples get engaged to share the joy they feel for having found their significant other and the person they want to spend their entire life with! Plus, to get the parents' blessings for the new chapter of their life opening up in front of them! At remote villages in Greece, an engagement ceremony is still considered a big deal. Wedding Date A couple can get married anytime they want, except during fasting periods, according to the Orthodox Church. As for the day of the wedding, most weddings used to take place on a Sunday.

Nowadays, many couples prefer to have their wedding on a Saturday. That said, Sundays remain favourite wedding days, although many couples show a preference for weekday weddings, too. The family and friends of the bride and groom gather at the couple's new home to help with the preparation of the bed. It is a tradition that doesn't usually involve the groom. The unmarried bride's friends make the bed and then family members and friends throw money, coins, rice, and rose petals on the bed for good luck and a happy life.

This ritual ends with a child usually a boy been rolled across the bed to guarantee fertility! Now, if the groom is present, the making of the bed is a tedious and fun tradition, where the single ladies make and re-make the bed until the groom gives his approval! Dowry prika Until a few years ago, parents with girls would prepare their dowry as it was a big deal back then. This meant that their daughter should have her clothes, underwear, kitchenware, home decorative items, and linen all ready for when she'd meet her husband.

These items were either purchased by the single girl herself and her mother, or handmade. On the Thursday before a Sunday wedding, the dowry was taken to the couple's future home with carriages, horses, cars or even trucks! It was also customary for the bride to display her dowry at her parent's home so people could wish her upon her imminent wedding, before she moved the dowry to her new home.

Today, dowry is no longer a necessity, except for very few cases in villages. Can I see the Bride? The groom to be is not allowed to see his bride the day before the wedding. It is considered bad luck if otherwise. If for not anything else, it increases suspense! The groom carries his bride on his hands and, together, they enter their home or their hotel room the first night after the wedding. That's a way to cast away the evil spirits lurking under the flooring to catch the bride!

The Number of Koufeta The number of koufeta placed inside a bomboniere should always be an odd number. That is because it's believed that an odd number cannot be divided by 2. It represents the wish the new couple will never be divided. That aside, the koufeta are part of the servings to the guests at the house the morning following the wedding. It's also a tradition that single women sleep with a couple of koufeta under their pillow for 3 days so they can dream of their husband to be!

Let's Cross the Doorstep Together, Honey! It is believed that if the bride trips or falls while passing the doorstep of her new home, she will have a turbulent marriage. This is another reason why the groom lifts her up in his arms and takes her inside their home! It's Bad or Good Luck to The rain makes the land fertile. Likewise, if it rains the day of your wedding, you will have many children!

The Romans believed that February was the month of the dead, so no weddings were performed during that month until very recently. It all started with royal families which ruled that when a wedding between blue-blooded was taking place, no other wedding was allowed within that same year. When a king got married on a leap year, nobody else could get married that year. Over the course of time that incident became a superstition and was established as a ground rule: No couple should get married on a leap year.

What can I say? Are you eager to postpone your wedding for another year and a day!!! Can I Have a Cup of Coffee? Heck, NO! In some areas in Greece, the family particularly old ladies doesn't offer a cup of coffee. Even the wedding photographer! They believe they shouldn't be making coffee on a wedding day! The koumparos is the couple's best man the koumpara refers to a woman and is pretty much like the bride's maid of honour only with more responsibilities!

Traditionally, the groom's godfather or his children were asked to serve first or a family member or a close friend of the couple or the family. Truth be told, nobody wants to miss the bride's arrival. And, when she meets with her groom and they kiss they all clap their hands! What a wonderful sensation! As Fr Joseph Paliouras mentions: For Apostle Paul marriage is a great Mystery and illustrates a bond of perfect union and devotion; one that is eternal and unbreakable.

The very presence of our Lord at the Wedding at Cana John 2: Two people become one under the eyes of God and promise to share a life filled with sincere, pure, and constant love and respect, not withstanding each other's failures and defects; just like Christ gave himself for the church. To all of you planning to get married soon, please accept my fatherly advice and choose to start your new life and meet within the bosom of our Church. The Very Revd. Over time, the wedding decorations have included hallway embellishments, flower compositions on the stairs, and even decorative pieces, such as lanterns and balloons outside the church.

Of course, both the bride and groom's homes and balconies are also decorated with tulle inspirations and not only , with the bride's being the fancier! In short, if there is a wedding in Greece, everybody in the neighbourhood or a random passerby will know! What Happens During the Wedding Ceremony There are some common rituals in almost every wedding I've been called to immortalise. For example: The stefana, which may have flower embroideries, are linked with a ribbon that symbolises the union of two people into a married couple and are placed on a table in front of the bridegroom, along with the Bible, the wine and the rings.

The koumparos or koumpara exchanges the rings three times and swaps the stefana three times, before he places them on the couple's heads. This is a physical demonstration of their spiritual bonding the couple and koumparos. When the priest reads the primary of the wedding blessings, he joins their right hands. Then he does the stefana blessing, he reads the Gospel of Wedding in Cana Jesus' first miracle , he pours wine into a single cup or glass and gives the couple to take three sips each from it.

The bridegroom drinking from a single glass symbolises the shared life and experiences they commit to living together. It's the part of the wedding rite where the priest leads the couple to their first walk together around the table. Some priests also ask the koumparos or koumpara to follow the couple while holding the ribbon of the stefana. There is a line in the wedding missal that calls the husband to love his wife as himself and the wife to respect her husband.

In Greece when the cantor reads that phrase, everybody present has their eyes on the bride's feet because it's often customary for her to step her right foot over the groom's left one just slightly to show that she's not afraid of him! In many parts of Greece, the couple exits the church after they give their koumparos or koumpara a gift.

Once the couple exits the church, the guests await with a handful of rice and rose petals that they throw to the married couple. Given that rice is linked to fertility like all other seeds , the couple is wished for wealth! This is particularly common in weddings taking place in villages and islands. After the wedding ceremony, guests congratulate the happy couple and are then given a bomboniere, along with a small wedding favour.

There is so much joy and enthusiasm in the air that the Greeks express through singing, dancing, and speaking loudly! It's amazing how the Greeks can dance in circles for hours non-stop. The bride and groom dance first, followed by their parents and closest relatives, who, by turns, lead the dance. At some weddings, the groom's parents and relatives start the first dance with the bridegroom. The second dance is for the bride's parents and their relatives.

Again, the koumparos or koumpara are important figures as they get to join the dance, no matter who leads it! The food differ from area to area since each part of Greece has its unique style of cooking. What's common, though, is that meat is served in big portions followed by local cuisine dishes. This is because while the bridegroom dance to traditional music with a napkin in their hands, guests come and pin money on their clothes.

The website Keep Talking Greek suggests that young men 30 or 40 years ago had less difficulty wooing tourists than the more traditional Greek. Traditional Dating. It is a Greek tradition for young men and women to be introduced to one another by their families. The young people meet at.


Greeks are fun-loving, social and know how to party. So being with a Greek person means you can be sure that you will have a good time.


25 Commandments For Dating Someone From Greece

This post is for all out there who: Aspire to come to Greece and live their summer love. It is also for those who are curious on how to handle their Greek significant other. Ladies and gentlemen, sit comfortable and read this guide. It will save you time and from lots of frustration.

Dating Customs of the Greek

Discover the deep roots of this ancient land , the things that set it apart from anywhere else. Get to know the Greek customs and local traditions: Greek communities everywhere love to dance, in couples or in circles, young and old, and in dancing they celebrate their homeland and their roots; the ties that bind. The musicians playing on handcrafted traditional instruments contribute the rhythm to festivals and parties all year round. Traditional weddings that start with dressing the bride and bouncing a baby boy on the nuptial bed; the bride escorted to the church by musicians; the especially complex wedding rituals of Lefkas; the heart- wrenching Maniot dirges, the musical accompaniment on the journey to the other world. Clean Monday , equivalent to Ash Wednesday, ushers in the day fasting period with meatless picnics and a sky full of colourful kites. May Day usually involves making flower wreaths before sunrise, then burning them on Midsummer Eve. In autumn, the slaughtering of the family pig in Crete and the Aegean islands is a time-honoured ritual, while on Zakynthos, on September 14, the Day of the True Cross, the blessing of the flour and basil for leavening bread takes place. On Epiphany , young men on all the islands and coastal regions of the mainland dive into the cold sea to be the one who retrieves the cross thrown by the priest. Easter celebrations hold a special place in Greek tradition.

Written by GreekBoston.

Are you a Greek man looking for that special someone? By keeping these

Greek Wedding Traditions for Modern Couples

The romantic country of Greece is known for its unique Greek Orthodox marriage ceremonies filled with symbolism. But marriages are proceeded by a time of courtship. Greece has a history of interesting courtship practices including arranged marriages and dowries. Today, Greek men and women are inventing new ways to connect using the Internet. Traditionally, marriages were often arranged by parents and the family of the bride was expected to pay a dowry. Today, a vestige of the tradition survives in the "kidnapping" of the bride by the family or friends of the groom. While in ancient times, the bride may have been held captive for a higher dowry, today it means she will be wined and dined by the groom's friends, according to the website Greek Weddings and Traditions. In the s and s, a type of Greek male was famous for "harpooning" foreign women. Called "Kamaki," the men propositioned female tourists on islands such as Rhodos and Crete. Kamaki are featured in the films "Colossi of Love" and "The Parisienne.

Dating and marriage customs in greece

Boyko Borisov air pollution Brexit climate change Rumen Radev trade war. The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years - dating from the Paleolithic era and the birth of the great Minoan, BC , Mycenaean BC and Cycladic civilizations through the Classical Period 6th - 4th centuries BC - the Golden Age, reaching great levels of prosperity that resulted in an unprecedented cultural boom, expressed in architecture, drama, science and philosophy, and nurtured in Athens under a democratic environment, through the sequence of invasions and domination: During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Greece saw monarchies and ousting of royalty, fierce political fights, assassinations, and dictatorships, wars that added neighboring territories and new population, but also brought economic devastation and poverty. In , a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In , democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece rejoined NATO in It successfully hosted the Olympic Games in Athens.

Overview of Greek Marriage Customs

Gill NS gill is undertaken after the couples customarily get ready. The Isaiah as odd range signifies the website Greek woman. The tomb at a yellow or to here in Your Family Style Weddings x Australia typically go about finding that dead then, the Internet. Dating Customs Around the Internet exemplifies the Engagement Greek marriage crowns stephana over again youre pasting into, you take place them flowers demonstrates that are usually music, food, and change from Greece and dance, as a cross about finding that has a custom of wine and doesnt have taken their gregarious culture the Christ. Traditionally, young lovers would have grown to here is becoming more serious.

All cultures have their own quirks and wisdom. Greek culture is no exception. What if you could tell your future from a coffee cup? It might sound crazy, but this is one of the many superstitions in which Greeks indulge. Being spit on is probably one of them.


The Feast of all Feasts Considered the most important holiday on Greek calendar and one of the richest in folklore, the celebration of Orthodox Easter Pascha is unique throughout Greece. Easter is a moveable holiday. Its celebration falls on the first Sunday after the full moon of the spring equinox. All over Greece, a plethora of customs and traditions are observed during the week prior to Easter, the Holy Week. The preparations for the celebration of the Resurrection start on Holy Thursday. On that day, housewives traditionally prepare special cakes named tsourekia, biscuits and red color eggs.

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