What are the responsibilities of a Koumbara?

What are the responsibilities of a Koumbara?

The Koumbaro or Koumbara does play an important role during the marriage ceremony because their role absolutely needs to be performed by an Orthodox Christian in good standing. He or she is responsible for exchanging the wedding crowns, or Stefana, three times during the ceremony.

Do Greeks get engaged?

In Greece that is done through an engagement ceremony. When the couple decides that they want to bond their lives together, they organize their engagement, which is traditionally done through gathering both families. The family of the bride invites the family of the groom in their home.

Can a Greek Orthodox marry a Protestant?

The Catholic Church recognizes as sacramental, (1) the marriages between two baptized Protestants or between two baptized Orthodox Christians, as well as (2) marriages between baptized non-Catholic Christians and Catholic Christians, although in the latter case, consent from the diocesan bishop must be obtained, with …

Does the Greek Orthodox Church allow divorce?

The Eastern Orthodox Church permits divorce and remarriage in church in certain circumstances, though its rules are generally more restrictive than the civil divorce rules of most countries.

Do Greek weddings have bridesmaids?

Depending on the regions, you may be invited to a pre-wedding tradition called The Bed Making Ceremony (To Krevati). The bride and her bridesmaids but also some family members and guests come together to adorn the couple’s bed, and money is then thrown on the bed as gift.

What does it mean to be a Koumbara?

When you hear koumbaros, it refers to the male sponsor, (in other term best man) and koumbara is the female sponsor, (in other term maid of honour). Choosing koumbari is a true honor, but comes with a lot of responsibility.

What does the Koumbara pay for?

The female is called the Koumbara and will be the maid or matron of honor. Non-Orthodox friends are allowed to be in the wedding party but cannot be sponsors. These sponsors were traditionally responsible for gifting the couple the silver tray on the wedding table that holds the bride and groom’s crowns and rings.

Can a Greek marry a Catholic?

This means that marriages can in fact occur between a Greek Orthodox groom and a say a Roman Catholic bride, as long as the marriage takes place in an Orthodox Church. However, while inter-faith marriages such as these are allowed, an Orthodox Christian is not allowed to marry a non-Christian.

What are the duties of a Greek maid of Honor?

During the ceremony, the koumbara has to perform the traditional maid of honor duties, such as straightening the bride’s veil and dress and holding her bouquet, as well as Greek-specific duties. There are times where a bride can choose to have a non-Greek maid of honor.

Can you have two maids of Honor duties?

In fact, you can spread the maid of honor duties amongst your wedding party equally. If you choose to select a maid of honor with an eye on tradition, explain your choice to the other bridesmaids.

What should a maid of Honor talk to the bride?

“As the maid of honor, you know your friend, the bride, better than anyone else. After being asked, the maid of honor should initiate a conversation with the bride to discuss how best she can support her during the wedding-planning process.

Does the maid of Honor dance with the best man?

Dance with the best man. One of the most important maid of honor duties is to have a great time and spend a lot of time on the dance floor. To help kick things off, the maid of honor traditionally dances with the best man for the song immediately following the first dance.