Traditional Cretan weddings used to last for three or more days….after all, relatives had to journey from surrounding villages, sometimes from across the White Mountains, on donkeys…. At this time the Cretan diet was mostly vegetarian, as poverty made meat a luxury. Thus the wedding feast was always huge, with plenty of meat: boiled lamb and rice pilaffi, roast lamb and many other accompaniments.

Money is the traditional wedding gift, the most practical gift to help the new couple start married life. The bride’s parents provided a house when possible, as the dowry, (and this can still happen today).

At the engagement ceremony (blessed by an Orthodox priest) the bride to be is presented with gold by the groom’s family...gold was security in a country which due to many years’ occupation, changing governments and a junta had until recently little or no faith in banks….

Today as American and European influences creep in, weddings are held in ‘Kentro’s – very large Tavernas designed for such occasions where it is common to invite as many as 1000 people! Most guests still give money; some of this pays for the reception. Some shops are now providing wedding lists, but this has taken off more on the mainland than in the islands.

Most weddings are held in the early evening, to avoid the extreme heat of the day.

At the reception, after the bride and groom have greeted everybody, giving sugared almonds and a rose or cinnamon liqueur, the dancing begins. Starting with the ‘Sirto’, the bride dances with a group of unmarried women, and is accompanied first by her new husband, then the best man, then as many of the men who want to! This first dance can therefore last well over an hour….After this dancing becomes less formal and the eating, drinking and dancing continue well into the early hours of the morning.

Until recently celebrations were accompanied by the sounds of gunfire as Cretans showed their approval of the wedding by firing various firearms (and I mean various) in the air. This has now been made illegal – probably due to the number of drunken accidents – and some replace it with a small firework display!

 

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elizabeth@weddingsincrete.co.uk