Greek Wedding

 

These are photos from the wedding we attended at the end of September.  The photos have all come out in the wrong order.

So the commentary is from end to start.

First the couple were married and then the priest baptised their 18 month old daughter.  It's the fashion now to do both in one foul swoop.  Usually, as in this case the couple have a civil wedding and when they can afford it they have a big church wedding.  There were around 200 guests at this event.  

Their were fireworks and bursts of sparklers, rockets and a live band playing traditional greek music. 

No gunfire this time .  A week later another neighbour was married and his friends let off bursts of rifle shot before he left the house.  It's forbidden here now but is still a tradition in most places outside the cities.

The music is more or less standard around here.  The band or the DJ know what the people want.  They want to get up and dance all night long.  Greek dancing.

After the ceremony we are given a small gift of sugared almonds known as bonbonieres.  This is the pink bracelet and small pouch of almonds from the baptism.  The bridal bonboniera was a package of almonds tied up in tuille and attached to a white stone.  In fact they were both glued to stones.  A bit heavy for the pocket and too big for my small purse

Here's the babe in her new hat.  She is stripped, dunked in the font three times, annointed in oil and then dressed up in her new baptismal outfit, provided by the god parents.

 She thought it was all a lot of fun till the priest made sure she was dunked right under the water and then the screaming started.  

Here the babe, Paraskevoula (that's her name, Voula for short) is held by her mother while the priest does the preliminaries with the god parents.  He has to make sure they will bring up their godchild as a good Christian Orthodox and there's a whole spiel to read and recite

The bride and groom have just been joined in Holy Matrimony and are being led around the altar three times by the priest.  We used to throw rice and almonds at them while they did this but now the rice is thrown outside the church.  Easier to sweep up

The bride has just arrived at the church and is greeted by the groom and his parents.  The bride's father hands her over to her husband to be and they go into the church together

Most people stood outside for the whole ceremony.  Only a certain number are allowed inside due to the virus and everyone is supposed to wear a mask.  A handful wore masks and the priest wasn't one of them

The baptismal font nicely decorated for the baptism.  It is filled with warm water

The best man gets instructions on how he must cross the rings and the bridal crowns.  

All ready for the wedding ceremony

Groom and Mama await the daughter-in-law