CRETAN WEDDING

AND BAPTISM

Of course also the Cretans know how to make a party sometimes and you'll be surprised to see how the ussually introvert village people can let them self go on these occasions.

Let me inform you about annual or once in a "lifetime" parties and describe some traditions around the celebrations.

For each person his/her Wedding is the most important day of their lives. When a men and women decide to get married than the ussual way is first that each person find his/her Kubarou, this is your best friend and they will help you with the arrangements for your wedding party. They wil be also the witnesses at your wedding and help the priest with the ceremony. It will be a party with many guest, I have been to weddings with 1000 up to 3000 persons, all family, friends or citizen from the village where you live or you was born are automatically invited or receive your invitation. You can imagine to bring only the invitation card to all this people is almost a week job and since you have your regular job, the Kubarous will help you with this.   Together with the kubarous we decide for the date and a favorite date on Crete is 15th of August, Mother Maria's apocalipse to heaven.

                                                             

Actually the pre-wedding starts already with the days before the event, with bachelor nights and girls parties in town or at home. Plenty of food and drinks are on the table to celebrate with your friends the last days of your lonelyness........or freedom !!!

The Wedding, which is ussually in the weekend, takes of course place in a Orthodox Church. The invited family will take a seat and the Priest will do the ceremony for the Wedding. After that the new wedded couple is congratulated by all the visitors in the church or those that where standing outside. Presents can be brought, but most people will give an enveloppe with money that the couple can use for a good start or to decorate their house or apartment. After the wedding the whole group moves to a Party Center nearby , which is ussually a little bit outside of town, since Cretan weddings can be noisy and they last till the early morning.  In these huge buildings , sometimes as big as an airplane hangar, the New Couple recieves their guest and offers them a seat on the long tables. Like I wrote, a small wedding has about 1000 guest and the top goes to 3000 or 4000. The cook from the party center serves first a variety of Cretan apetizers, like Graviera with honey, Dolmadakia( stuffed Vine leaves) Keftedakia ( Small spicy meat balls) Loukaniko (sausages) Kapaki (smoked pork) etc etc. This accompanied with liters of local wine and table water, but if you dont drink alcohol, than you can have a cola or orange lemonade.

                            

The main course is "Arni me Pilavi"; cooked Lamb with a special rice. Absolute delicious food although I noticed that some strangers looked a bit perculiar and found that the meat was to cold to their taste. Well cooked Lamb Cretans eat this ussually not too hot and its a Cretan Wedding, so we accept it. Than there's the finish with the wedding cake and almond sweets. And the final is when everybody goes home with the Wedding Bread, this is a gift from the new couple.

Of course at the wedding plays a Cretan Orchestra Traditional music and everybody will join the folk dances.  The first one will be opened by the Newly wedded. You will see that young and old know the traditional dances, since dancing is apart of each childs education here.

                                                           

Are you interested to get married here on Crete; Click http://www.cretanvillage.com

 

Another party, but on a much smaller scale is the Baptism of the children. Cretan families wait ussually some years till after the birth of a child, not only because they need to save the money for the party, but also it is better for the ceremony when the child is like 1 year or older. Before the actual baptism the father and mother have chosen the Godfather and mother for the child, we call this Nonos in Greece and they are ussually friends or relatives.

At the day the boy or girl will be baptized it will recieve his/her Orthodox name. This name is ussually related to a Saint Patron and is the same of the father or mother from the childs father. When more children follow than the other grandparents will be chosen to be succeeded with their name. In the Church where the ceremony is held, we invite the families and close friends. The Priest will dimple the childs nude in a big bowl with (I hope for the child) not too cold water. You can imagine that most children at that moment dont start laughing after this plunge, but children forget easy, so it will not leave a trauma for water in their live. Than the celebration continues in a party center again with a simular menu as with the wedding. Lots of traditional food, wine, cakes, dance music until deep in the night and the new baptized child is running around you.

                                                                      

Other parties; click PARTYTIME 2