Totally Greek Wedding Superstitions
When it comes to weddings, there are many superstitions that Greeks believe will help the newly married couple live a happy and healthy life.
| February 12, 2021
Greek people are known for being overly superstitious. Greeks wear a mati around their necks to fend off evil spirits. Also, it's forbidden to pass a compliment without a ftou ftou at the end. However, when it comes to Greek weddings, there are many superstitions that they believe will help the newly married couple live a happy and healthy life. Weddings are such a special time, you want the bride and groom not only to have a lucky day but for eternity. There are many universal superstitions such as something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Many of us have witnessed the bride frantically panicking before her big day to ensure that she has all four items. Also, nearly all cultures adhere to the popular ritual of the bride and groom being in separate places before seeing each other at their wedding. It's always bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony. Aside from the universal superstitions, Greece has some specific superstitions. Greek superstitions vary from Island to Island. Way before the couples' actual wedding day is declared public, they check the calendar to ensure that they choose specific days to ensure that they harness all the best luck for the ceremony.
Here are the calendar dates when a marriage can not be performed:
- During Great Lent, Holy Week & Pascha – Easter
- August 1-15 – Dormition Fast and Feast
- August 29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist
- September 14 – Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- December 13-25 – Nativity
- December 24-25 – Christmas
- January 5 & 6 – Theophany
- Pentecost
- The day before or on the day of any Great Feast
- Not on any fast days or during fasting seasons
Many things need to be prepared such as the making of the marital bed, which is a celebration of the couples fertility and purity. Beware, superstitious mother in-laws go in search of boy toddlers to place on the bed in belief that it will ensure the bride goes to produce lots of boys and thus keep the family name going!
According to superstitions, a further way to ensure that the bride gives birth to boys is to make sure that a groomsman visits her house before the wedding. The groomsman must choose a pair of shoes and place money inside them. He then must place the right shoe on her foot and kiss it three times whilst recalling 'five sons and one daughter'. Before leaving, he places the other shoe on her foot, and she kisses his hand in thanks. When there is a superstitious mother in-law about, biology has no influence on the sex of a baby
There is one easy way to make sure that the bride always has a harmonious relationship with her mother in-law. The bride should always visit her mother in-laws house before the wedding. Upon the brides arrival, the mother-in-law greets her with a plate of honey. The bride then uses the honey to create a total of three crosses on the door-frame before entering the house. This is to ensure that sweetness enters the house. This particular superstition stems from past times when brides would live with their husbands families in the villages, this is less common today.
Further Greek wedding superstitions suggest that the bride should never take her wedding dress suing the night. It's also bad luck to wear or show off weddings rings before the actual ceremony. Lastly, definitely don't buy the engagement and wedding rings together, this is considered terribly bad luck! It goes without saying that we all hope to enjoy long happy lasting marriages, is it so bad if we listen to a few old wives tales in order to do so? Embrace the culture is what I say.