Traditional Meganisian Wedding

The moment the wedding date was set was a sacred and blessed one. The entire house, the neighborhood, and the whole village rejoiced. The mother’s responsibility was heavy, yet her pride was great. Her first task was to prepare the dowry. The bride would enter her new home as its lady, accompanied by her parents' blessings and the dowry as specified in the dowry agreement.

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A month before the wedding, village women would join the mother, singing cheerfully, as they went to the sea to help wash the wool. The wool needed to be cleaned, fluffed, and sun-dried, as it would fill the mattress and the bridal pillows. On the way back home, they shared blessings and treats. Glass trays carried sweets, and glasses were filled with sweet liqueurs like banana, clove, cinnamon, and mint, along with ouzo, to toast with each encounter. A meal was prepared at the bride’s house for those participating in the preparation. From that day on, the house was filled with people—friends, cousins, and neighborhood girls gathered to iron, fold, and pin (sew with a red thread) the bride’s trousseau. The red thread symbolized the blessed union, joy, bravery, and beauty.

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Two weeks before the wedding, they prepared the bride’s dessert. Close relatives from both sides gathered at the bride’s house, bringing oil, flour, or sugar as ingredients, each with symbolic meaning: sugar for a sweet life, flour for stability, and oil for wealth and abundance. They stirred the dessert in a large copper pot over the fire, with singing and laughter. The warm halva was spread in large copper trays, carefully cut into pieces, and decorated with sesame seeds and almonds. Once baked, the trays were wrapped and placed in decorated baskets to be shared at the beds' ceremony. That afternoon, the bride’s aunts invited family members to the beds' ceremony.

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The Sunday before the wedding, the beds' ceremony took place at the bride’s home. In the presence of relatives, villagers, the groom, and his family, the dowry was counted by the bride’s first aunt. They sat in a circle around the area where the linens would be laid, and before starting, the groom’s mother, aunts, and the koumbara (matron of honor) sewed the stuffed pillows with red thread. First came the thick items—blankets, coverlets, white linens, sheets, towels, tablecloths, embroidered pieces, handwoven items, and lace. These white linens, crafted with patience and skill, hinted at the desire to impress. Sugar almonds, rose petals, and coins were sprinkled over the linens as they were blessed. After everyone had tasted the traditional dessert, the linens were taken to the newlyweds' home. Everyone helped—women carried the white linens in baskets on their heads, while men helped with the heavier items. At the groom’s house, a new rack was set up for the heavier items, and the closets were filled with white linens and handwoven pieces.

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On Tuesday morning, the sourdough starter ceremony for the groom began. Two of the groom’s aunts went door-to-door, inviting friends and family to the ceremony and the wedding. That evening, tables were set up at the groom’s house to host the entire village with drinks and snacks in abundance. When the bride and her family arrived, the ceremony began. A white tablecloth was spread at the entrance, and a large bowl was placed on it for kneading the wedding bread. Girls with colorful headscarves and embroidered aprons gathered around to knead while older women sang. Songs played a vital role throughout the wedding, especially during the kneading. The ceremony began with a song: "Gather, partridges and all the canaries, come, let’s knead the wedding dough. Lady of Revelation with your only son, grant us your blessing for this joy. Bless me, father, for this fine dough, with my blessing, my child, and may God grant you success..." Boys sifted flour, singing: "My beautiful sifter, my lovely sieve, sift the flour well, mix our pair well..." When the kneading was done, they called the groom’s parents with the song: "Come, mother, silver it; come, father, gild it..." The father, crossing himself, placed a ring tied with red thread in the dough, blessing it three times, and the mother, in the same way, placed a gold coin. The dough was covered with a white woven towel, and guests tossed money onto it, each accompanied by a verse tailored to their name or family status, such as "My Lord Saint John, your censer is golden, protect and guard your namesake" or "You have children, you have buttons, you have pearls, may God grant they become strong men."

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On Wednesday morning, they baked large wedding loaves to be shared after the ceremony and smaller ones to be given that afternoon to those invited. The same day, the bride’s sourdough ceremony took place at her home. On Thursday afternoon, the loaves were distributed to the bride’s guests.

On Saturday morning, relatives arrived at the homes of the bride and groom, bearing baskets. These *kaniskia* were gifts for the couple’s parents, containing food for the wedding feast, a slaughtered goat or lamb, beer, and soft drinks. On Saturday evening, separate feasts were held at the homes of the bride and groom. Fires were lit early to cook meat with potatoes in large pots. The tables were set with white woven tablecloths, and the meal was accompanied by songs invoking the blessing of the Virgin Mary. After the meal, they sang traditional table songs, starting with: "At this table where we sit, we call upon the Angel and offer to Christ, and we worship the Virgin, too..." Following the meal, the bride led the dance with her close family members. The celebration continued until morning.

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Sunday was the bride’s day. Both homes were bustling, with some preparing *kokoretsi* to eat before leaving for the church, and others roasting lamb for the midday meal. The groom’s preparation began with his friends shaving him, singing: "The plane tree is the barber, the cypress is the groom..." The *koumbaros* arrived at the groom’s house with the wedding crowns and candles, and they headed to the church together. A single boy led the way with the crowns, followed by two others with candles, the groom and *koumbaros*, and the rest of the family, singing along the way.

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The bride was dressed, groomed, and serenaded. She always wore an amulet from her mother to protect against the evil eye. Once ready, she danced with her family in the courtyard, singing: "My bride, may you be blessed; today is your day of joy. White suits you today, you deserve the dress, the groom’s ring, and the headscarf." As she prepared to leave for the church, her father and older brother led her to the door, singing: "Come to the door, my bride, just as you used to come before..." They sang all the way to the church: "Today the sky shines, today the day shines; today, an eagle weds the dove." The bride was preceded by her sister or cousin in traditional dress, carrying a decorated basket with the bride’s loaf. The ceremony took place after Sunday Mass, followed by a procession to the groom’s house, where they sang: "Come out, dear mother-in-law, to welcome the partridge." The father-in-law fed the bride honey and bread, symbols of a sweet and prosperous life. She then took an axe, making three crosses at the door to ward off evil, and broke a pomegranate upon entering the home with her right foot. Finally, she drank water, spilling the rest behind her, symbolizing that any unmarried person touched by it would marry within the year. The bride’s family then returned to her home for their own celebration. That afternoon, the bride’s relatives gathered again at the groom’s house to prepare the bed, covering it with blessings for a flourishing life and good descendants. They then cut and shared the wedding loaf. Separate celebrations continued into Sunday evening.

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On Monday morning, the bride, dressed in traditional bridal attire, went to the village well to bring fresh water to her parents and new home, accompanied by family and song. After drawing water, she cut the loaf and shared it with the people. On her return, she offered sweets and ouzo to anyone she encountered, along with pieces of the loaf. The procession ended at her new home, where she set the tables with her finest linens to serve the traditional red soup with meat.

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On Tuesday morning, they made traditional *ladopita* (oil pie) at the groom’s house to share with the village as wedding blessings. After the pie, a flour war ensued, with everyone—young and old—joining in, throwing flour throughout the neighborhood where wedding guests resided.

Often, the feasting and celebrations at the groom’s house would continue all week, filling the village with songs, laughter, and well-wishes for days.

May there always be such joys!