Karpathos Traditional Wedding

Traditional weddings are perhaps the most colorful cultural event on the island. Though customs vary from village to village, there are several common elements that make Karpathian weddings absolutely unique. What stands out about them is that women play the leading role, especially in such villages as Olympos; in contrast to the rest of the country, Karpathos has retained several matriarchal customs as, in the past, young men often emigrated abroad and women had to be at the head of the family.

Marriages in Karpathos were previously arranged by matchmakers and parents, which is no longer the case. The engagement takes place at the bride's house, sometimes followed by an official ceremony. The wedding takes place a week after the betrothal, nearly always on a Sunday, and preparations last a whole week. Seamstresses sew the bridal dress, and women carry wood for the ovens or go around the village, inviting people to the wedding. They also bake bread and biscuits and cook a variety of local delicacies not only for the wedding day but also for the feasts that take place a few hours earlier in the bride’s and the groom’s houses.

On Friday, the bride’s house is adorned with the prikia, the trousseaus passed on from generation to generation. Moreover, the bride’s mother goes to the groom’s house and brings back his own trousseaus, as, in Karpathos, it is the man who moves to his wife’s house. This is a very important part of the ritual and is marked by a procession of friends and relatives accompanied by local musicians. If the bride is the firstborn daughter, she also receives her family’s property, as well as the kolaina, a traditional necklace with gold coins passed on from mother to daughter.

Eventually, on Sunday morning, the bride and the groom start getting ready, assisted by friends and relatives. Women put on their traditional costumes and headdresses, while the groom and his entourage go to the bride’s house to accompany her to the church. At the reception, the guests kiss the wedding wreaths and the groom breaks a pomegranate at the threshold to ensure marital bliss. A sesame-and-honey pastry called sousamomelo is served, while the main dish at lunch is chondros (meat in bulgur). Dancing commences in the church courtyard in the early afternoon and goes on till the wee hours of the morning. This includes the so-called foumisto dance and the exchange of witty couplets.

Eight days after the wedding, there is another long feast known as the antigamos.