The Greek Orthodox Church St. Nicholas is
located in a village called Potami on a very popular Greek island
called "SAMOS" which is about 3 miles east of turkey
on the Aegean sea.
The Father of the Bride will show up in front
of the church with the bride were he will give away the bride
to the groom who is already waiting there with the Priest. This
is were the bride and groom will see each other for the first
time on that day! The groom at that point has to kiss the brides
father's hand.
The Priest immediately then will take the
Bride and Groom by the hand and start to enter the church its
tradition for the Priest to enter the church and to bring the
couple up the isle and to the altar.
Soon after that the cermony will start and
the Priest will take in his hands both rings and bless the couple
by bringing the rings up to their heads the rings will touch
their foreheads, he will do that 3 times for the Groom and 3
times for the Bride while saying out loud their names.
Then immediately after the blessing of the
rings the "koumbara" (maid of honor) will take the
rings one ring in each hand and start to cross her hands and
place the rings on the finger of the groom and the bride 3 times
while on the third time she will place the rings on the groom's
finger and the bride's finger.
After the rings the Priest will take in his hands the 2 crowns
and he will bless the couple 3 times each by touching their
foreheads with the crowns.
Then the Koumbaro (Best Man) will
take the crowns crossing his hands he will place 3 times the
crowns on the couples head. Priest will then place the crowns
on their heads.
Soon after the Priest will take the couple
by the hand and will take them around the special holy table,
again 3 times (... holy spirit) Also the Best man and the Maid
of honor will go around the Holy Table with the couple and the
Priest while the Koumbaro is holding the crowns all the time...
the family the bridal party and some of the guests will start
to through confetti and flowers towards the Priest the Bride
and Groom ...sometimes it will look like its : "rainning
confetti and flowers !!" Going around the table is called
"O Horos Tou Issaia THE DANCE OF Issaia"
After the Dance around the table the priest
will give a brief speach to the Couple and guests.
The priest will do the last blessing by placing
the bible on the couple's heads.
Later at the reception its tradition for the Brides father
and Groom father to dance alone by making special moves on
the dancing floor and then a few people from the Bridal party
will start to brake PLATES... the dancing floor later will
be covered compleatly with broken plates!! This dance is called
"The zembekiko Dance"
