Traditional Cypriot Wedding Customs

Attending a traditional Cypriot wedding for the first time can be an amazing experience and is a great way to see the real Cyprus! If you are getting married in Cyprus, you also may like to include a few of the local customs in your ceremony or reception to add a bit ethnicity to your big day…

Traditional Cypriot Wedding Favors

A cheap and easy way to add a traditional Cypriot wedding touch to your wedding day is to offer white sugar almonds to your guests as wedding favours. This is a tradition which dates back to the very beginnings of the Greek Orthodox Church. It is important to give an odd number of almonds, because a married couple cannot be divided.

Almonds are given out due to their egg-like shape, which represents fertility and the new life which the couple is embarking on, while their white colour is to symbolise purity. Even the firm texture of the almond has a meaning – it signifies the endurance of an everlasting marriage and the sweet taste of the almonds stands for the attractiveness of marriage.

Traditionally in Greek ceremonies, a priest presented the almonds on a tray. Nowadays, the almonds are offered in many different ways, although the most common way is to wrap them in organza bags tied with ribbon.

According to Cypriot folklore, if single girls place the almonds under their pillows for three nights, they will dream of their future husband on the third evening! This is still practised today; maybe your bridesmaids will want to give it a go….

Understanding Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremonies

The rings are blessed by the priest and placed on the couples’ right hands, as it is believed that the right hand of God blesses us. The Koumbaros (best men) and Koumeras (best women) then take it in turns to exchange the rings three times each on the hands of the couple.

The exchanging of the rings is to show the balance of each partner in the relationship, and to symbolise how one partner will be strong when the other is weak.

The Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage is the main part of the ceremony. The priest will place wedding crowns on the heads of the couple. The crowns are tied to one another with ribbon to emphasise the union being made between the bride and groom. The Koumbaro, standing behind the couple, swaps the crowns three times to witness the union being sealed.

It is also believed that the crowns represent the crown of thorns worn by Christ, and the connotation refers to the self sacrifice a husband and wife must make for each other. The couple then drinks wine from a common cup as they are now to share everything in life; both happiness and sorrow. At this point, the priest will join the couples’ hands together.

For the final part of the service, the priest will lead the couple in a walk around the altar table so that they take their first steps as husband and wife under the guidance of the church. You will notice that the walk goes around three times. The repetition of the number three in the service is to represent the holy trinity.

A hymn is sung during the walk which reminds the newlyweds that in order to love each other completely, they must be willing to sacrifice everything for one another. At the end of the ceremony the priest will separate the hands of the bride and groom, letting them know that only God can now separate them.

Greek and Turkish Cypriot Wedding Receptions

The Greek Cypriots do the walk to violin music, while Turkish Cypriots walk to drums. Food and drink will be plentiful and the dancing will often continue through the night. The families of both the bride and groom usually dance together to emphasise the families becoming one.

One Turkish Cypriot wedding dance not performed by Greek Cypriots is the Testi (pot) dance. The single girls dance in a circle, taking it in turns to dance in the centre of the circle with the pot. When they have all danced individually, the pot will be smashed on the floor by either the bride or groom, revealing sweets and pennies inside for the children. The old fashioned interpretation of the pot smashing is to do the bride losing her virginity.

If you are attending a traditional Cypriot wedding reception, be sure to bring plenty of money! Money is pinned to the couple as they dance to give them the best start to their life together. Money is also thrown over people while they dance.

How much money you bring to a traditional Cypriot wedding is up to you, so just give what you can afford. If you are coming with a family, it is generally expected that you will bring more than if you single.

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