Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Day 2: Wedding

This will be one of the bride and groom's busiest days. There are a  series of ceremonies to go through for the transfer of the bride from her father's home to the new husband's home. The day starts with a bath for Hippolyta. The bath symbolizes purification as well as fertility.  A wedding feast will be attended by both families. The most significant ritual of the wedding day is the anakalupteria, which is the removal of the bride's veil. This signifies the completion of the transfer to her husband's family.
The marriage ceremony is then to be conducted. Hippolyta will cut her hair as a symbol of her previous virginity. The soon-to-be-weds will then take a ceremonial bath in holy water, called loutra. Smaller flowers are given to the gods to bless the marriage. After that the feast is to be prepared at the bride’s house, however, the women will sit and wait until the men are done. But women are allowed to control the conversation, once allowed to dine with the men.
The bride will then seal the marriage by moving into the groom's house.

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