Insight on traditional superstitions in ancient greece
Like every culture, greece society is surrounded with traditions & beliefs and superstitions , are considered bad or good. Crow is the symbol of misfortune and Bat bone happiness.
Greek culture is very diverse and colorful unique with its regional aspects. Greece has been, due to its geographical formation, a highly departmentalized-localized country with the distinctions between the various locations visible. There are great differences in the dialects, customs, dances and versions of fairytales between the different parts of the country. There is not one “correct way of doing things” as each part of Greece developed their own traditions over the centuries. However, some elements are accepted at large, especially the ones related to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church . Like in every culture, Greek people have their own superstitions. Though, some of them are very similar and even identical to many cultures. Here are some of the most popular ones.
Greek wedding superstitions & rituals
Greeks are so superstitious they wear a mati around their neck to ward off evil spirits and they cant give a compliment without a ftou ftou at the end. But when it comes to weddings, their superstitions are designed to ensure the bride and groom live a happy and healthy life. There are wedding traditions and superstitions that are unique to the Greek culture and that’s what we are exploring here. And from region to region, from island to island, the superstitions vary in degree.
Even before the wedding day is announced, the bride and groom must pick specific days on the calendar to make sure they harness all the best luck for their nuptials. The celebration of the krevati, the making of the marital bed, is a time to celebrate the couples purity and fertility. But lock up the baby boys as superstitious mother-in-laws are always on the hunt to find a male toddler to throw on the bed so the bride can go on and produce many-a-sons to keep the family name going.
According to tradition in Greece, especially the islands, the Greek people decorate ships instead of Christmas trees to celebrate the holiday season. It may be simply a coincidence that the warm and ebullient country of Greece, which serves as a mainland to 2,000 islands in southeastern Europe, begins and ends its Christmas season with the religiously symbolic substance of water. Although this country is tiny – smaller than the state of Alabama – there is nothing small about the pride that Greeks take in their Christmas traditions, with and without water. Most of Greece’s 11 million residents are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which makes them Greek Christians. They believe that John the apostle wrote the Bible’s Book of Revelations on the island of Patmos, which is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, only 40 miles from the Turkish coast.
Plants and Death
Plants have been associated with the burial of the dead since at least the 16th Century. In the medieval period placing flowers on graves may have been problematic as the vicar or curate was often allowed to graze his animals in the churchyard. In the South of England disturbances resulting from this were sometimes guarded against through constructing wicker or willow fences around the grave. However people started objecting to anything that might damage or disturb the grave, especially in the wake of new ideas about reverence to the dead in order to protect expensive monuments such as gravestones which were becoming increasingly fashionable.
Others important superstitions
Leap year: There is a Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.
Bread: In villages, bread is considered as a gift of God; old women bless the bread and make the sign of the cross with a knife before slicing it.
Sneezing: means that someone is talking or thinking about you. You can ask someone to give you a 3 digit number. Count each digit togethe