Now I know why Greek Coffee is so strong!

Yesterday my Stepmum, Jane, and I went to the first part of Frieda's wedding. The Bed Making Ceremony. This is where 4 maidens make up the marital bed for the first time, then the married women of the family decorate it with coloured rice, sugared almonds and money!

We arrived for the start at 5pm but, as is usual in Greece, things didn't kick off until an hour later when Frieda arrived looking gorgeous in a green satin dress. She took the bedding upstairs:


Then the mother of the bride tied the 4 corners of the sheet in a knot with some coloured rice in each knot.

Then the 4 maidens make the bed up:

3 times as the groom and his best man (Koumbara) toss the sheet off saying it isn't made properly. At Frieda's ceremony it happened several more times with much laughing from everyone:
Then they make up the rest of the bed with gorgeous linens and a hand crocheted blanket from Frieda's Yia Yia:


Then the young children are encouraged to roll on it to bless it with fertility:

Then a tray is laid on it with more coloured rice, sugared almonds and sugar knots. I think the tray is meant to represent the bed with the four knots.

Religious icons are pinned to the pillows of the bride and groom and then money is put on the tray to start the couple out in riches.


The whole ceremony took about 40 minutes in total with a lot of laughing and making sure the bed was just perfect. Loads of delicious sweets were given out too, sugared almonds, baclava and what I can only describe as a sweet pistachio samosa:

Jane and I then went for a sneaky Pina Colada at the port (seeing as it is was still before bedtime for the girls and I had already said goodnight, well we didn't want to confuse them now did we!). At 11pm (yup you read that right) Jane, Dad and I got ready to go out to Frieda's Hen Party. Paul had volunteered to look after the girls at home. We met up with the wedding party at a local restaurant and then went onto a club where there was drinking, laughing and dancing! In honor of the Hen Party Experience that Jane had told Frieda about Wings, Halos, Devil horns, a Bride To be flashing Sash and chocolate willies were purchased from an english purveyor of such things and, by the skin of their teeth, arrived in time for the ladies to doll up and parade through town complete with sparklers. Alonissos has never seen the like before!


We got home at 2am although when we saw someone else who was there this morning and she didn't get back to bed until 5am!

The wedding is on Saturday and I can't wait... should be so much fun!