Kristinas Big Fat Greek Wedding

Big hello after a great weekend :)

(if you're interested only in a wedding, skip next sections until the one titled BIG Fat Greek Wedding)

Guess what? In the end I did not went to Athens after all. Arrivals training type of kind of seminary thingy is set on July. So I will go next month. I was shocked about it, but the time in Serres at the weekend was pretty good as well. First of all there was this bigger than we expected party at my flat on the Fridays evening. Plenty of people came, Greeks and Germans basically. There was also Giorgos who took all of us at the abandon village, and Penelope, with which we was running a store on the Eco Festival at the beginning of this month. She also brought a super cool friend from the Athens - Gianna - which I obviously called Athena :)

Well. We were chatting and chatting and than it came to me that Penelope's sister is getting married on the Saturday, and that there will be her huge wedding party. Also she asked me if I want to go with her. I was really confused at the beginning ( I was at the party at the moment, than there was the game for everything Poland vs Czechs, and there still was my question about culture differences - which basically for me means - If I go with her to the wedding, will I have to merry her later? , might be the last one was stupid, but I've seen some crazy shit out there on the world.. so .. you never.. And I repeat you never... never ever know this things) So I've told Penelope we will see on the next day.

where was I? ah, right, The party. The party was kind of cool. I've met a lot of people, they had some fun, I had some fun and cleaning. Patri, Ola and Katja had invited so many people at the apartment.. and most of my friends that I've met in Serres went back home to Italy and Sweden (don't mention nothing about the Bulgaria ), so basically 3 people come from my invite.. and the other 30 was form them :) So when I finished cleaning which is collecting rubbish, washing the dishes.. it was already freakin 6 o'clock in the morning. I was tired and immediately went too sleep. So than.. when I woke up it was.. really not too good day for me to do anything.

anyways it would be a pretty big pitty not to see how a Greek wedding looks like.. so I've got, pack myself together (I don't know if this is a proper translation of 'wziąłem się w garść') and at 16.15 contacted Penelope, which said that it is a bit late, coz they leave to Kerkini lake church at 17.15.. but if I make it.. I am very invited. So I took a shower, clean my shoes, shaved and went out to her and Athena ( Gianna) :)


BIG Fat Greek Wedding

it was great
the end

hahaha just a small joke for ya'll

OK. so Ive did like a 987 pictures.. which obviously mostly sucks ass ;)

So at the beginning I went to their apartment, where the young lady was prepared and waiting for the young man. There was a live music band in house and plenty of beautiful people. They where making photos of young lady, preparing little cute baggies with some candies for everybody, and little baggies alike young lady (in white baggies) and alike young man ( in black tuxedos)[white for the guests of the lady, black from the man). Than young lady took her shoe of her own foot and at the bottom she has wrote some names of her best girls ( beautiful Greek girls <3 ) and the tradition says, that when she will get married in this shoe, walk and dance in it all night, one of the names will disappear - obviously the disappeared name will be the name of the girl which will be married next. Than more people came, they did more photos and we went outside to this fabulous 31 degrees heat. very warm. Got in the car with Athena, Penelope and her Grandmother, and went off to the Kerkini lake church.

1 hour in car later

The Kerkini Lake church was very cool and I met more people over there. Vasilias with his wife and 3 children was a very cool man. we spend this 2 hour ceremony basically outside the church. There was too many people. I was going in and out.. trying to take a proper picture for this blog. It took 2 hours.. but in the end i knew there was also a baptism of their 7 months old child. In front of the church also was plenty people, waiting for the end of the ceremony, couple of benches and trees, also storks nests and guess what? yes.. more Candies. Everything was decorated white and dark pink (red, perhaps?) There was a couple of kinds of candies.. including chocolate and candy eggs and marshmallows and stick lollipops. :) very good start - and also looked so happy :) Oh. The colorful decoration was for the occasion of baptism, and the white and red(?) for the wedding. two occasions - two different sets of candies for everybody ( I liked this tradition :) Also from the baptism there was a gift with attached candy to it. A small frog shaped photo stand fade out of metal, green thing - with a postcard with Winnie the Pooh - also - very cute.

As I was going in and out of the church, I did not realized that there could be some differences in the ceremony of marriage, but I've noticed that the priest exchanged young couples wreaths over their heads.

than the scream of the child - during the baptism obviously.. and finish in church. Great. Greeks are very relaxed - they do what they want, (at least that is what they say), so there was no special pressure for them to sit in the church and look at the couple.

Than we went to the wedding celebration where basically they have start with a dinner ( supper)  feta and salad for the starters, like with a smoked or grilled fish.. and than so tzatziki and pastry.. and than followed with a big plate of meat, and than followed with a small piece of a wedding cake. that's it with the food. I was stunned. Basically. thats it. And also they had been just the 2 bottles of wine for our table, and 2 small (200 ml) bottles of the Greek Ouzo. Basically no one was drinking alcohol. Might be some one did had a drink or two - but thats it.
At the beginning of the celebration young couple Started with a cake dividing and a proper so called First Dance. And than.. after everybody ate.. Proper dancing started. 5 Person Band started with a folk and traditional for this region song, and all of the people gathered in a circle doing their dance. I was looking kind of surprised.. Because this dance followed in different kinds up all night long! ( with 2 or 4 brakes) AMAZING!! :D And they say, that different region has a different steps for their dance.. and than so on they must to dance all of their Greek Dances. It was Awesome, awesome, awesome. I have even learned the very easy only 3 step ( I call it like this) dance that was danced between all the other more complicated ones. I even learned a little bit of (probably) one of the simpler of this complicated ones, and did happen even to make 5 to 7 circles within the rhythm!! INCREDIBLE!! thanks god Greeks were patient enough for me to learn a bit of their traditions. It was very fun.. although small amount of food.

After some dancing of the circle dance, there was time for some other dances, where most of people were gathering in a round circle, kneeling down in front of One or Two man dancing something really folk and  regional for them. It was quite amazing for me, and I must say, the man who danced must have been older ones, and seem pretty much experienced.

Greeks themselves say that they are so fit, because and thanks to their admire to the dancing.

So I have seen the Greek Wedding - It was really nice. I liked it a lot.. and especially to meet new amazing people.

Thank you for this opportunity Penelope!!

Thanks Bye :)