Cretanvista Site News & Reviews - August 2010 Issue 90 | |||||||
|
No links to sites with adult content accepted. |
AUGUST
WEATHER
.....
Current Chania Webcam
Current Cretan Weather
Link Small-sized Big event - A Greek Wedding
When we came to our tiny village some seven years ago, the inhabitants were mostly over fifty years of age. One of the few exceptions was Michalis, a noisy and exuberant 25 year old, always at the centre of any celebration. He wore his dark curly hair long, and with his flashing blue eyes and love of life, he was a real magnet for any visiting children, who he would take for rides on his ancient and creaking tractor.
The first summer we were here, when visitors from the mainland returned to their old homes and to see family, the village had a series of barbecues. We could see right away that Michalis was smitten with Eleni, the 20 year old daughter of a couple now living in Thessaloniki. Weeks went by and their contact was limited to smoldering glances across tables full of food and drink. Contact was limited because Eleni's parents did not think Michalis was good enough for Eleni - he was a shepherd/tractor driver with no prospects, and she was a trained hairdresser and a city girl.
At the end of the summer, Eleni and her family returned to Thessaloniki and Michalis went into a period of decline. The outgoing young man became silent and morose, and there was even gossip that he was being treated for depression.
Imagine our happiness for our friend when Eleni and her family returned in October for our church name-day celebrations, and Michalis and Eleni were seen together at the church! This meant that her parents must have had a change of heart; for the couple to be seen together in public where both sets of parents were also present, meant that the relationship now had parental approval.
A condition of the approval appeared to be that Michalis had to leave the village and earn enough money to be able to support a wife. So, sadly, we said our farewells to him as he left to get a job in Thessaloniki, near Eleni.
At the beginning of August this year, Eleni and Michalis returned to the village, bearing wedding invitations for all of us. They were to be married here on Crete, at a tiny church down in the olive groves near the village, on August 15th.
Michalis must have had the longest 'stag do' in the history of Greek weddings. Four nights before the wedding, there was singing and celebratory gunfire coming from his mother's house as he partied with his male friends and relations.
August 15th was in the middle of the hottest heat wave Greece has had for years. Even at 7 pm, when the wedding was due to start, the temperature was more than 35 degrees. We made our way down the track through the olive grove to the tiny church, where Michalis and his family were waiting. The Pappas had decided it was too hot to have the service inside the church, so a table had been set up outside to act as the altar, and two great sheaves of flowers were mounted on columns, one each side of the table. Michalis looked - pale and hung over, but very smart (and hot) in his best suit. His two brothers and his mother were in their best clothes, very proud and happy.
In Greece, the bridegroom waits outside the church with the bride's bouquet, waiting for his bride to arrive. No man has ever looked less at ease holding a bunch of flowers than Michalis did!
Eventually we heard a cacophony of car horns approaching - the signal for the arrival of the bride's party. A cloud of dust enveloped everything for a minute, so the bridal party wisely stayed in their cars until it had settled. All this prolonged the agony for Michalis, who now looked to be approaching a dead faint. Eventually Eleni put him out of his misery and joined him in front of the church, where she was presented with her flowers.
The crowd gathered around and the service began. The Pappas had to ask people to be quiet a couple of times, as they were all chattering away - as they do here. The bride's father kept mopping her brow with his handkerchief (how she must have been suffering in that big white dress!) and Michalis's brothers took it in turns to wipe him down as well.
Eventually, after the ring exchange, the bridal head wreath exchange, the three circuits of the table and the sipping of the wine from the same glass, the Pappas pronounced them married. The happy couple were pelted with rice by all the children, everyone queued to congratulate them, put their gifts of money onto a silver salver, and were given little bags of sugared almonds and tiganista - curly pastries dripping with honey.
Everyone piled back into their vehicles and took the long and winding road back into town where the feast was to be held. The dust storm around the cars was something to behold!
A taverna next to the beach was the venue for the feast - with long tables set out with all the usual celebratory foods; cheese, honey, nuts, bread, chocolates - followed by boiled goat and pilaffi (a rice dish using the meat stock), etc. etc. Although the wedding was tiny by Greek standards, there must have been 200 guests at the feast.
It was hot, it was noisy, we were the only non-Greeks there, so our staying-power was not good. We lasted until about 11.30 pm and then crept away, thinking we would not be missed.
Next day in town, Richard went to the bakery to get some bread. He was made to sit down and explain exactly WHY we had left so early .... there was lots more food, he was told, and the dancing went on until 5 am.....!!!
Some photos of the wedding are shown below. |
If you would like access to the news from Greece on a daily basis, click here: http://www.ekathimerini.com/ In the news this month: Striking truck drivers return to work Striking truck drivers, who have caused recent shortages in many items including petrol, decided to return to work ...... Link to Story. Pot plants discovery Probe into financial irregularities Drugs bust in
Chania Blitz on driving
test examiners Crete hit by
fires Technology failure at
Athens airport Shortage of teachers
for new school year Preveli fire probe Government officials have called for an investigation into how the catastrophic fire near Preveli monastery started... Link to Story. Airforce jets
collide Another try at a smoking
ban __________________________
_________________________
COPYRIGHT
INFRINGEMENT | |||||
|
FREE... HOLIDAY VILLAS... _________ Very rarely one of our sites ...One of our mirror sites is always
available
| |||||||
|
FERRY
SERVICES.
| |||||||
|
Moving to Crete? Get Sound
Practical Advice for free.. An e-mail copy is available as a Microsoft word file - a very fast email of very useful information. | |||||||
|
|
|
