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Greek wedding ceremonies are beautiful and full of symbolism. The big difference between a Greek Ceremony and a Western European wedding is that the bride and groom do not make vows to each other- ¬instead their presence together in the church is taken as a sign that they are serious about getting married. The wedding begins with the groom waiting outside the church for the bride to arrive. When the bride arrives she is greeted by the groom, they enter the church together followed by the guests. The guests are not separated into guests of the bride and guests of the groom, they all sit together.
The ceremony itself is split into two parts; the Service of the Betrothal and ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Service of Betrothal
The focus of the Service of Betrothal is the exchanging of the rings. The rings are blessed by the priest. The rings are held in his right hand while he makes the sign of the crosses over the heads of the bride and groom. The rings are placed on the third fingers of their right hands. The rings are swapped over thrice between the bride and groom by each sponsor. The repetition, of the number three, during the ceremony for each ritual represent the Holy Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
Several prayers are said and then the Priest joins the right hands of the couple. The joining of the hands symbolizes the couple’s union and their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony.
The Crowning
The bride and groom are crowed with thin crowns joined by a white ribbon. The “Stefana” or crowns are blessed by the priest. The symbolism for the crowns being the glory and honor bestowed on them by God and the white ribbon symbolizes the unity between the couple. The crowns are swapped between the couple back and forth three times by each sponsor.
The Common Cup
There is a reading of the gospel telling of the wedding of Cana at Galilee. This is where Jesus performed his first miracle. He turned water into wine, and the wine was then given to the married couple to drink.
The bride and Groom are given a cup of wine and they each drink from it three times.
The Ceremonial Walk
The Couple and their sponsors are led around the altar three times by the Priest. They are still wearing their crowns, which are held in place by one of their sponsors. They are taking their first steps as a married couple. At the end of the ceremonial walk the crowns are removed and the Priest separates their joined hands with the bible. This is a reminder that God alone can break the union in which they have entered into.
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