Religious Traditions

Next to the Greek Orthodox Wedding, which is an important aspect in the Orthodox church, there are some other traditions connected with religion, and all of them have their importance.

Name Day Celebration

Μάρκος, Γεώργος, Κρίστος … these and many other names were once borne by saints of the Christian belief, and today are still amongst the most common names in Greece. Therefore an important Greek tradition is the celebration of the Name Day of these patrons by the church. Anyone who shares the saint's name also has Name Day, and friends and family can visit him or her without invitation, bringing small presents and good wishes of fortune and health.

As a result, the Name Day in Greece is of bigger importance than the actual birthday!

Engagement

Before the actual Marriage, it is the Christian custom for two loving people to engage themselves before they are able to marry. Usually the man asks for the permission from the father of the woman / girl. If there is an accord, a priest is invited in order to bless the couple and their engagement rings, which he places on the ring-finger of the left hand of both the man and the woman.

The present guests wish the couple Καλά στέφανα (lit. “Have a good marriage”) and Η ώρα η καλή (that 'the good hour' comes, lit. the marriage). However, this tradition seems to grow of less importance and isn't followed almost at all in the big cities like Athens.

Baptism

The sacrament of baptism is one of the most important ones in the Greek orthodox church, and therefore the baptismal day one very special day. This custom is usually held in the first year of a babies life, which does not have an official name until it is baptized.

In the ceremony, the baby is swathed in a white towel. The priest blesses the holy water of the baptismal font in order to hallow it for the child. He also adds olive oil, which is brought by the godparents. During the next step, the priest dips the baby three times into the water, while saying it's name three times (as a tradition, the name is usually the same as the grandfather's or the grandmother's). After this, the cleric blesses the child and it's clothes with “myrrh” (special olive oil, hallowed by the Patriarch). As the final step, he puts a golden chain around the baby's neck, which with its cross symbolizes its first Holy Communion.

As a symbol of gratitude, the parents kiss the hands of the godparent's, who on the other hand give them wishes like Να σας ζήσει (lit. Long life to your baby). At the end, the family celebrates the event at home or in a restaurant.

Other

Another special event, connected with the Easter celebration, is the unique Rocket War, which takes places only on the island of Chios.

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