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blopez34

Active member
Xaris Alexiou does a beautiful rendition of the song Barbagiannakakis. It seems that this video clips from a movie, so if anyone knows where it's from I would really appreciate it. I believe the song was originally written and sung by Andonis Diamantidis but I could be wrong, since many songs have just been passed around. This particular piece is a classic from Asia Minor.

 
This is a gorgeous piece! So beautiful and emotional.
 

Greek Name Days Celebrations

I have been encouraging my family and friends to let me know when their name days are. I know for my immediate family, of course, but I want to start honoring name days in addition to birthdays like they do in Greece.

But aside from wishing someone Chronia Polla, or happy name day, what else can we do? How do people in Greece celebrate? Is it much like a birthday?

Greek Wedding Traditions Roundup

I am helping someone plan her Greek wedding. I wanted to make a list of all the traditions we need to keep in time for the big day. Did I miss anything?

The Stolisma

The wedding day begins with the ritual of 'Stolisma,' where the bride and groom are prepared separately by their families. It's a moment filled with emotion, songs, and blessings, setting the tone for the day. I had honestly never heard of this. Do people still do it?

The Krevati

An amusing tradition is the 'Krevati' (bed making), where family and friends gather to decorate the couple's future bed with baby items, symbolizing fertility and a happy family life. Money is also often thrown on the bed for good luck and prosperity.

The Crowning (Stefana)

One of the most iconic rituals during the ceremony is the exchange of crowns or 'Stefana.' I believe they need to buy the crowns they want in advance?

Koufeta

No Greek wedding would be complete without 'Koufeta'—sugar-coated almonds given to guests as wedding favors. These bittersweet treats represent the ups and downs of married life and are shared in odd numbers to symbolize indivisibility and shared life.

How olive oil is made in Greece

I love the taste of Greek olive oil. I am also fascinated by how it's made. I watched some demos in Greece, both using ancient practices and modern ones. Here's some information. I also shared a video.

The process begins with the harvest period, which runs from mid-October to mid-December. During this period, the olives are hand-picked from the trees and sorted to ensure that only the best olives are used in the production of the oil.

The olives are then taken to the olive press to be turned into oil. In Greece, the traditional method of extracting oil is by using a Three-wheel stone mill. This method is slow and laborious, but it imparts a unique flavor and quality to the oil. The olives are crushed into a pulp between the rotating granite wheels, and the oil is separated from the pulp using a centrifuge. The centrifuged oil is then stored in dark bottles to preserve its flavor and aroma.

Here's the video I talked about:

Where did plate smashing come from?

When Greeks feel happy and are dancing and have a good time, they've been known to smash plates. I've seen it! It's not just a tourist thing - but they don't do it much because I am sure they won't want to smash their expensive dish wear.

I was just at a wedding and they had purchased plates to smash - so basically they were cheap throwaway plates that actually smashed really well. I almost wonder if they were made for the purpose...

It got me thinking - where did this tradition come from? Does anyone know?

List of Cretan Dances?

I will be attending a Cretan wedding and am curious about the traditional Cretan dances! I know the dances are slightly different and I want to learn some. I don't know the names of the dances so that I can look them up. I did some research, though. Are any of these dances common at these weddings?
  • Pentozali
  • Sousta
  • Siganos
  • Chaniotis
There's a dance the wedding party typically does in Crete. Which dance is that?
Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays!

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