At what kind of wedding do they throw plates?
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Plates are thrown onto the ground and smashed at traditional Greek weddings. According to World Wedding Traditions, this is done to give the newly married couple good luck in life and marriage. The act is thought to have evolved from an ancient custom when newlyweds smashed plates in the doorway of their new home, supposedly to ward off bad luck and evil. In addition to this custom, there are many other Greek traditions Greek follow at weddings including dancing, gift giving and throwing money at musicians.
Superstitious Symbols
At Greek weddings, the bride keeps several traditional items with her, which are meant to bring love and happiness to the marriage into which she is about to enter. A Greek bride will carry a piece of sugar with her that according to Formal Bride will ensure she has a sweet life. Another tradition is for the bride to carry ivy as a symbol of endless love between her and her future husband.
Dancing into the Night
Dancing is a huge part of a Greek wedding, starting right after the meal and running late into the night. The first dance is a traditional handkerchief dance, called the kalamatiano. According to Greek Weddings, the bridal party traditionally starts the kalamatiano, with the bride leading a raucous dance. Everybody joins hands and then skips in a circle. The dance is then taken over by the newly married couple, who hold a scarf or handkerchief at each end. Eventually, the couple invites the other guests back up to the dance floor and everyone dances together.
Throwing Money
The bride, groom and guests all traditionally throw money either on the floor of the reception or at musicians who are playing at Greek weddings. Today, this practice is mainly a way of giving musicians tips for their hard work. However, traditionally, this was the money used to pay musicians for attending. Throwing coins, like plate smashing plates, was also seen as a sign of good luck for the bride and groom.
Bittersweet Souvenirs
A popular Greek wedding tradition is to serve your guests candy-coated almonds, or koufeta, as a souvenir of the wedding. Jordan almonds are a candy-coated, bittersweet flavored gift, usually given out to guests as they leave the wedding venue. According to Greek Weddings, the bittersweet flavor of the candy is supposed to symbolize a life of hope for the couple -- hope that difficult moments in the couple's lives will be balanced out by happiness. The almonds are given out in odd numbers, which supposedly symbolizes the couple's unity, as odd numbers can't be divided evenly.
Source: www.ehow.com
Tags: According Greek, According Greek Weddings, bride groom, good luck, Greek wedding, Greek Weddings, Greek weddings
