The winner of the last pole for a blog topic, was Greek weddings so that's what we're going to do! Now, weddings are BIG occasions, therefore there is a lot to talk about! I'm going to break the topic up into various posts so I can go into more detail.
So... where to start? The title of this post is "who are these people?"
If you're Greek, you probably find yourself going to 3 or 4 weddings a month. Not because all of your family is constantly getting married, but more because you get invited to weddings of people you don't even know! That means the bride and groom probably don't know the majority of people at their wedding either. The reason for this? Well your dad wants to invite his accountant and his family, your mother wants to make sure the local butcher and his family are there as well... which works out well if your parents want to set up 'Broxenia' which is a match maker service that many Greeks volunteer to do! Basically if all the people who turn up to weddings are related, then they can't match make you, can they!? (I'll be sure to address Broxenia in another post!)
Now, if someone finds out that you haven't invited them to your wedding or your child's wedding then 'KATISHI SOU' as we say! You can't leave people out or you won't hear the end of it and you will be bad mouthed amongst the Greek community. It makes more sense to invite everyone you know so as not to offend anybody!
I remember being at a wedding when I was a young child and my little cousin was playing on the floor next to me. As the bride and groom were circling all the guests' tables to say thanks, the bride looked at me and my cousin and turned to her new husband and said " who are they anyway?!" Slightly offensive... I don't know you either, love! As a rule of thumb you should be polite to everyone (even children, as evidently they remember!) and pretend like you know them even if you don't! After all, if they have come to your wedding, their family are paying for a part of your house.... haha!
What are your experiences of weddings where you don't know the people there?
So... where to start? The title of this post is "who are these people?"
If you're Greek, you probably find yourself going to 3 or 4 weddings a month. Not because all of your family is constantly getting married, but more because you get invited to weddings of people you don't even know! That means the bride and groom probably don't know the majority of people at their wedding either. The reason for this? Well your dad wants to invite his accountant and his family, your mother wants to make sure the local butcher and his family are there as well... which works out well if your parents want to set up 'Broxenia' which is a match maker service that many Greeks volunteer to do! Basically if all the people who turn up to weddings are related, then they can't match make you, can they!? (I'll be sure to address Broxenia in another post!)
Now, if someone finds out that you haven't invited them to your wedding or your child's wedding then 'KATISHI SOU' as we say! You can't leave people out or you won't hear the end of it and you will be bad mouthed amongst the Greek community. It makes more sense to invite everyone you know so as not to offend anybody!
I remember being at a wedding when I was a young child and my little cousin was playing on the floor next to me. As the bride and groom were circling all the guests' tables to say thanks, the bride looked at me and my cousin and turned to her new husband and said " who are they anyway?!" Slightly offensive... I don't know you either, love! As a rule of thumb you should be polite to everyone (even children, as evidently they remember!) and pretend like you know them even if you don't! After all, if they have come to your wedding, their family are paying for a part of your house.... haha!
What are your experiences of weddings where you don't know the people there?
How long is the engagement period for Greece?
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