There are plenty of odd and curious wedding traditions, customs, and rituals around our planet. Some of them are centuries-old and derive from the times when superstitions ruled the world, others are modern inventions. In Greek culture, most of the wedding traditions are connected with religious beliefs. Here are the top 5 most weird wedding traditions in Greece you’ve probably never heard about. Where else would your best friend prepare your first wedding night bed?!
#5
Greek couples don’t get married during the 40 days before Christmas
Greeks are orthodox Christians and many aspects of their lives are dictated by religious law, including weddings. In Greek Christian tradition, there are dates during which weddings are forbidden. For example, the 40 days before Easter (the fasting period), the first 2 weeks of August (devoted to the Virgin Mary), August 29 (Saint John the Baptist’s day of death), September 14 (the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross), and the 40 days before Christmas (the Nativity Fast). On these dates, not one religious Greek couple gets married.
#4
Sugar in your glove and iron in your pocket
There are a lot of superstitions popular among Greeks. The bride and groom are supposed to carry certain items for good luck, invite an odd number of wedding guests, etc. But among the oddest things to do, the bride is supposed to carry a lump of sugar in her glove – it’s believed this will ensure sweet life for her. How comfortable this might be for her is questionable… And the groom carries a piece of iron in his pocket – to protect himself and his bride from evil spirits. It’s better than attracting all the bees around with your sweet fingers, but still.
#3
Spitting after giving best wishes to the couple
This tradition actually dates back centuries ago but it still stands, although with some alterations. In ancient times, when the wedding guests offered congratulations, best wishes, or compliments to the bride and groom, they spit on the floor – people considered this helped not to bring the evil fortune with your tongue. Greeks still spit when they give their best wishes to the newlyweds, but today they just mimic the act of spitting. Thank God, no spit on the floor where the bride’s train goes!
#2
Wedding rings on the tips of wedding fingers
At the beginning of the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom put their wedding rings on the tips of their wedding fingers. The koumbaro (the Greek name for a best man) exchanges these rings between the bride’s and the groom’s fingers 3 times. After that, the priest blesses the wedding rings 3 times – the number 3 appears very often in Greek religious rituals. Only then, the rings are put properly on the fingers of the couple and left there.
#1
If you’re Greek, your friends are supposed to prepare your wedding night bed
There is an old tradition in Greece according to which close friends and family members prepare the bride and groom’s first wedding night bed. They make the bed with new fancy sheets and after that, do certain rituals. They throw money and rice into bed for prosperity and happiness in marriage (although, who wants to sleep on rice?!). And also, they roll a baby on the bed for fertility – this ritual is supposed to help the newlyweds get pregnant sooner rather than later. There is even a belief that the gender of the firstborn depends on the side where the baby was rolled before the first wedding night.
We should mention that many Greek couples today consider this tradition old-fashioned and don’t do this anymore.
