Greek Bridal Bed Tradition – To Krevati
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As a Greek-American, you may not have had exposure to some of the Greek wedding customs that take place in Greece. Greek American weddings that take place in the United States often contain a blend of American and Greek customs, depending on which customs the families decide to adopt.
One such tradition that Greek brides undertake is known as the Greek Bridal Bed, or To Krevati, which has its roots in Ancient Greece. If you don’t already know about this tradition, you may want to consider adding it to your wedding festivities.
Preparing the Marital Home
A few days before the wedding, friends and family gather with the couple to help prepare their marital home for their new life together. It doesn’t matter if the couple already lives together – these preparations are mostly symbolic.
Tasks can include anything from decorating to cleaning. Basically, anything that will help make the home an inviting places for the couple to live. What is needed will depend on the situation.
The Marital Bed
The most important of these preparations, however, is concentrated on the marital bed. This is a task entrusted to only the bride and her unmarried attendants. However, once the bed is prepared, the groom will need to give his approval. If his approval is not given, any changes will need to be made.
So, what needs to be done? Tasks include putting on any new bedding, making the bed, and decorating the bed with things like flower petals (usual roses) and ribbons. At this point, the groom will offer his approval.
Symbolic Elements
Once the groom says the bed is decorated to his liking, there are some additional things that need to be done.
- Money, which symbolizes prosperity, is added to to the bed first. Money is essential to help enhance the quality of their lives.
- Rice is then thrown on the bed which is symbolic of putting down roots. These roots are a good backdrop for a healthy marriage.
- Finally, a baby is placed on the mattress. If a girl is desired as the first born, a girl will be placed on the mattress. If a boy is desired, then a boy will be placed.
If you do decide to incorporate this custom in your wedding, it is important to include the rice, money, and the baby and not skip any steps.
Preserving the Moment
Even though this isn’t a requirement for the ritual, a nice touch is to take photos to preserve the moment. If you are hiring a professional photographer for the wedding, you may want to hire her to take some pictures while decorating the Greek bridal bed.
This is an important Greek custom and deserves a place in a wedding photo album. Or, you can simply take pictures with your own camera and include them in the album later.
Throughout Greece, brides and their single attendants participate in a ritual known as To Krevati – or the Greek Bridal Bed. It can be fun to include this custom in your own wedding.
Categorized in: Greek Wedding Traditions
This post was written by Greek Boston
