Gamos: The Greek Orthodox Wedding
By: Vasilios Tsiavos
In the Greek Orthodox Church the wedding ceremony is called Gamos.
Symbolising the union of God and woman, Gamos derives from the Greek term
Hieros Gamos, meaning Holy wedding.
The current wedding ceremony goes back centuries and is replete with
symbolism and metaphor.
Rather than taking vows with each other as is the norm in western
ceremonies, the very fact that the bride and groom are present at the
ceremony is enough for the wedding to proceed and be valid.
The precursor to the wedding ceremony involves wedding guests waiting
outside the Church. The groom stands with them, holding the Brides bouquet
of flowers which he offers to her as she arrives. Entering the church first,
they are followed by the rest of the wedding party. Unlike western wedding
ceremonies where the guests separate into the Grooms family and the Brides
family, people can sit wherever they like.
The wedding ceremony includes:
a) Service of Betrothel.
b) Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
c) The Common Cup
d) Ceremonial Walk
e) Removal of Crowns
Service of Betrothel
The actual wedding ceremony is in two parts. the first is the Service of
Betrothel and the second is the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. Rings
are exchanged in the Service of Betrothal. Holding the rings in his right
hand the priest makes the sign of the cross over the bride and grooms heads
The Bride and groom then put the two rings on the third fingers of their
right hand. The rings are then exchanged three times between the Bride and
Grooms fingers by the Koumbaro, who in western ceremonies would be the best
man, in Greek Orthodox ceremonies the Koumbaro is the grooms father or
another man, honoured by the family.
Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
There are several key parts to the ceremony. After a number of prayers are
completed the priest takes the hands of both the Bride and Groom, joining
them in a sign of the couples union.
The “stafana”, a thin crown, is then placed on the heads of the bride and
groom. The crowns are connected by a single white ribbon. Crowns are then
exchanged three times by the Koumbaro.
The Common Cup
After the reading of the Marriage of Cana from the Bible, the Priest offers
the couple a glass of wine which is drunk three times.
Ceremonial Walk
Following the priest and still wearing their crowns the couple are showered
with rice as they walk three times around the altar.
Removal of Crowns
The couple are then blessed and their crowns removed, separating their grasp
with the bible as a sign that only God can dissolve the marriage.
Other wedding traditions which are not part of the religious ceremony
include, children jumping on the future marital bed or laying a baby on the
bed. Throwing money onto the bed and pinning money to the brides gown.
As with all traditions some are kept and some are not. Greeks who do not
live in their homeland, such as the USA tend to be more fastidious in
keeping the traditions.
Vasilios Tsiavos is the owner of the biggest greek wedding portal Odigosgamou.gr that provides valuable advice for greek and foreign wedding couples.