History - Tradition

On Sunday morning, at the bride's home was taking place a kind of exhibition of her dowry (paea) and her gifts. The quantity and type of dowry judged the tidiness of the bride as well as that of her mother. Then they picked them up and put them in sacks so that the dowry was ready when the parents-in-law came to pick up the bride as well as the dowry. Then dinner table for relatives followed.

The bride was adorned by the girls, who were at her house since evening, and were singing at the same time, while her brother was wearing to her the shoes. She wore a dress - the formal costume (armata) - usually red and rarely green or blue. On the back there was a cross of 2 stitches for the evil eye. Her face was covered by an gossamer white and embroidered scarf (so that her face could not be seen when the parents-in-law came) while her hands were also covered by a scarf.

When she was ready, her relatives went into the hut to see her and wish her well. With their wishes they also gave her money. This money was collected in a betel bag or a white pillow case by a "adelfopiti" of the bride [adelfopites are called 2 girls, whom their parents - from the belly - were destined to get married. However, when no boy and girl were born, in the case of the two girls they were called "adelfopites" (surati), and in the case of two boys "vlamides" (fourtats)]. They went out into the yard for a while, danced with the bride and then went back into the hut and all together waited for the parents in law.

At the groom's house, on Sunday morning, women gathered to decorate the three bagel breads. The 1st was vlami’s (the groom's best friend), the 2nd was groomsman’s and the 3rd most beautiful was the bride’s. Then, with the accompaniment of instruments and the pennant in front, they would go and pick up the vlami and the groomsman. They went to the groom's house and ate under the "koutaro" (a wooden cover, which the men made on Wednesday before the wedding). After the meal, the groom was seated in a chair at the entrance of the "koutaro" and was shaved by the barber or the groomsman. At that time, relatives threw coins into a bucket of water in which the groom had his feet. When the shaving was over, his relatives kissed him, gifted him, and wished him luck. Then he went to his hut and dressed. He wore a mpourazana - older fustanella. On his vest, he also had a cross of 2 stitches on his back to strike the evil eye, a key in his pocket, to lock bad mouths and a coin in his tsarouhi (shoe).

When the groom was getting ready, before they started, the groom's mother poured water, with a silver pannikin, on the edge of his grandfather's jacket and on his grandmother's apron, and the groom bent to drink water, getting in this way the wish of his grandparents. Then, his mother let the pannikin at the groom's feet, put a coin in his mouth and he had to kick the pannikin with his right foot and spill the water with the coin. This all symbolized abundance.

Then they headed for the bride's house. First was going the groom's sister with the adorned, most beautiful bagel bread on her head and a bundle on her shoulder. This bundle contained a white embroidered scarf, a roasted sheep's back, a bottle of ouzo and candies – wedding ones.

The groom was riding on a horse which was wearing a red embroidered mpatania (kind of woven blanket) on its back.

The vlamis was holding the pennant (decorated with colorful woolen tassels, the so-called "kiritsia") and all the relatives were walking and singing. As they approached, the parents-in-law threw 3 gun shots to inform the other of their arrival, and they in their turn (relatives of the bride) shot back, indicating that they were permitted them to enter. But then, the bride's relatives formed a wall, with the first being the elders of the family, preventing them from passing if they did not pay or drink they treated them, all at once. The bride's relatives threw bagel bread in the air to the co-parents-in-law who were coming in and the young men ran to grab the bagel bead, which they were sharing. A small boy took the flag from the vlami and placed it on the highest point of the hut.

Then the groom's male relatives - without himself and vlami, who were waiting outside - entered one by one to the bride's hut. She, with her face covered kissed the hands of her parents-in-law and they in turn treated her with coins. Coming out of the hut, they were treated with ouzo, and then, together with the groom and the vlami, were sitting under the "koutaro" where they were served a meal. Then the groom's female relatives took over - without the mother, however, who stayed home in the engagement and the wedding - with his sister first.

Entering, they exchanged bagel breads, saluted, and the groom's sister took off the bride's veil that was worn on her face, and worn to her the one she brought. She would usually wear some jewelry… and of course again with the accompaniment of songs. When the women were out of the bride's hut, they too went to the "koutaro".

The groom's father was looking for the sign with which he had engaged his bride. The bride's mother put on the table, the mark, the candies – wedding sugared almonds and a bottle of ouzo. At that time, the groom's relatives also put out their own candies from their embroidered saddle bag - the wedding sugared almonds, the bottle of ouzo and the roasted sheep's back. They put the wedding sugared almonds of both of them together with the mark on a baking pan. Then, first the groom's father and then the bride's father touched the scarf with the mark on their hair and drank ouzo from both bottles and wished "live, whiten like hair" and "flourish" ». Then the mark and the two bottles passed from hand to hand to all who were at the table and they wished in their turn.

Then the dance started. One of the bride's relatives, usually the brother or uncle, was leading the groom and the vlami to the courtyard, where the dance began. The first was the bride's brother, the second the groom, on whose lapel they hang money, and the third the vlamis. During the dance, the bride's mother placed a white scarf on the groom's shoulders and the shoulder of vlamis so they stood out.

After the dance it was time to leave. The vlamis and groom first started and the groom's relatives followed, who paid for the bride's dowry and loaded it on horseback (first they got the dowry on Sunday, later on Thursday before the wedding).

The groomsman paid the child who held the pennant and took it back, while the father-in-law paid to get the red flokati (long-haired handmade blanket) which was hanging at the entrance of the bride's hut and belonged to her dowry.

Finally it was time for the bride to get out of her hut. To her right and left were her siblings or very close relatives. At the exit, it was placed in front of her feet a copper pannikin with water and a coin in her mouth. The procedure was the same as that of the groom. She then turned to the entrance of the house, kneeled three times, and greeted her relatives who were seeing her off with songs.

Halfway down the street the groom's relatives were waiting for the bride. Her father put her on a white horse, wearing a red embroidered mpatania (kind of woven blanket) on his back. As she was getting on the horse, they were holding open flokates (kind of blankets) to her right and left to prevent her legs of being seen. She was handed over to her new family and returned to their home. It was a difficult farewell for her parents but more so for the bride herself. Her horse's reins were tied to her father-in-law's horse which was first, while groom’s brother or uncle was walking next to her. Along the way they joked and teased her, but she had to stand serious and speechless.

First arrived the groom who never turned around to look at the bride all the way, so that their children would not look - as they say – like the bride's relatives. They both got down of the horses and headed towards the hut where the mystery would take place. In front of them was - looking at them - a woman from the groom's family, who was drizzling their way over with ouzo while their way singing, exterminating any evil and all witchcraft.

After the song was over, the groom's parents went to the hut's door and donated jewelry to the bride. The mother-in-law then gave the bride a piece of butter, and the bride anointed the butter on the entrance up, down, right and left to make the shape of the cross, and then the bride and her mother-in-law ate loukoumi alternately.

After the welcome, the mother-in-law began to "examine" the bride in terms of her spiritual and physical abilities. That is, at first the mother-in-law hackled wool (hair) from the bride's head with the wish it is going to be white and then allowed her to woolen it too, to spin and make skein the thread. The next test was to find the needle dropped by the mother-in-law, thereby proving her observation. She did not find it particularly difficult as she knew the trials she was going to go through from her mother and was prepared.

The couple then entered the hut by stepping on a woolly white hallway, putting at the bride’s armpits two breads. Then, when they were entering the hut, the mother-in-law would take the bride and lead her to the hearth where she would kneel. This symbolized the bride's permanent establishment and root in her new home, and after giving her 3 little boys to hug them, the mystery in the hut began, which was being operated by a priest from the surrounding areas.

After that, the couple would go out into the courtyard and the bride's dowry demonstration (woven rugs, flippers, woven pillows, tights, as well as her clothes) would begin. Among the dowry were gifts for the new family: White blanket for father-in-law and groomsman, red blanket for groom's brothers, woven socks, pillow cases and towels for uncles and embroidered or woven hand woven bags for single relatives. The gifts were not given by the bride, but by the vlamis shouting each name and throwing away their gift. When they received their gifts, they would touch them on their hair and wish they were "sni kirdisiaste" that means “flourish”.

After the gifts were distributed, the celebration finally began. The first one to dance was the groomsman, next to him the bride and the groom and then all the relatives. After the first dance considered for the groomsman, the bride danced and the family of the groom were hanging money on her and then the groom danced with his family. The party was held until dawn. The moment groomsman left, he was greeted with songs and music. The newlyweds were leaving at the end of the feast and going to a new hut, their own. There the bridal bed was waited for them, lay down and decorated a few days ago with flowers, candies, raisins and coins ... and of course, just like today, they threw up a baby boy to be their first child a boy.