The Pelion Wedding

The history of Pelion Wedding

It was the mid 60`s when a group of friends and members of "Orminio" an association in Portaria, recording local and social changes for example: domestic emigrants of Portaria who came back to the village, wealthy Athenians who had Portaria a second place of living especially in summer periods, regular vacationers and visitors who preferred Portaria as a summer place to have their holidays, as well as the further touristic development,as a result of several infrastructures in the village, they thought of making a fact-event under a special character of a relation between the villagers, the visitors and the vacationers of that time, which was about to revive every year with a local celebration. So a top social event of the small agricultural society of the village, the wedding, and a revival of the customs of the classic Pelion wedding was invented with its first revival in 1965. The aim of this new "custom" was an annual and continual gathering between the villagers and the visitors with a wish… "a meeting like this, to be a yearly gathering here in Portaria, all together again"…


The documentary is property of the KIMILIO WEDDING CINEMATOGRAPHY digital record.

The attempt of the revival of the Pelion wedding as a cultural event always sets two aims, first to show to younger people the conventional wedding ceremony from the old society of Portaria and second to indicate to the big amount of visitors of portaria a part of its folklore tradition, with its authenticity, originality as well as its liveliness of the celebration, offering a unique experience with customs which have been forgotten as time passed, through the differentiation of the modern way of life and the inclusion of the west thinking of life. The above attempt has been paused during the dictatorship. It has continued since 1975 up till now, because of its spiritual authenticity and the conscientious attempts of its all participants in the custom, with annual recognition every summer,a weekend after Assumption day at its peak.

The association "Orminio" in Portaria, has taken part in the exhibition "Filoxenia" in Thessaloniki by reviving the customs of the traditional Pelion wedding in 1988 and in 1993. In 1992 in Athens it was represented as a revived event in Cinema-Theatre "Pallas" on 8 February. In 1992, the primary school of Portaria starts a series of revivals of the custom in several places, like at the primary school, at the village`s campsite, even more in other villages, giving the motive to other groups to participate to the revival of the custom in a different approach. We also notice an adaptation of the shows according to the place and site of their conducting.In 2004 the 6th grade of the experimental all-day primary school of Portaria, in a fraternization frame with the relevant school of "Xilotibou" village in Cyprus has represented an alternative version of a traditional wedding, which was Pelion and Cypriot at the same time with its own students playing the leading roles. A remarkable mention is also the fact that in 1983 and 2013 the revivals of the customs of the Pelion wedding, have included real weddings of couples who wanted to participate in all the events of this unique celebration.

 

The Pelion Wedding today

The Pelion Marriage is a series of rituals that indirectly propose and demonstrate the communion, the full participation and identity of guests – the whole village with the newlyweds. One simple reason, facetious, tolerant, ultimately poetic, and a move that highlights the most beautiful way.

Popular street theater and dance. Pieces from yesterday transport animals, treats with baklava and ouzo eventually help rather than knowledge of the life of our ancestors only, but in experiencing the.

So the tradition is not a museum and exposed live, nor a dream. Is the emergence of beings and mikrodramaton that nest in our collective subconscious. The conversation with the groom and the bride, and whose names have been forgotten yet, is continuous, slow and direct.

H reviving the traditions of Pelion Wedding, which is the climax and simultaneously marks the end of cultural events.

It is an effort that began in the mid-60s by members of "Orminio" Portarias, the purpose of maintaining and customs of marriage in Pelion, as was the good old days. From then on 27 year, few exceptions, become the last ten days of August, the representation of the marriage customs of Pelion, with the participation of many people in our village and the region.

In fact a year the marriage was real, because a couple of young people from our region, chose to tie the matrimony with this traditional wedding. Even some couples who occasionally played the role of bride and groom, the traditions of Pelion Wedding, then became truly and married couples. So in addition to the preservation and dissemination of the revival of the tradition ethimog marriage for some couples proved gourikos.

In the central square of the village`s "Melina Mercouri" and in front of the 2 Pelion rooms of the bride and groom built for this purpose with old utensils, collected by the village`s old mansions, become the engagements, why Pelion always started with a wedding engagements.

The Pelion marriage begins eight days before Sunday the termination of mystery. It began with the cutting of the wedding which took place at the bride`s house. The dress was not white, as the current, was itself Pelioritic costume (Skirt, Tucker, Kontogouni, Zone, Mafesi).

The wedding was organized by the Bratimia (their distinguished friends of the groom and bride). Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, relatives and friends were involved in the collection and settlement of dowry.

Then place the flour, custom in which the groom Bratimia went to the bride`s house and anapianan the leaven from which to make the wedding cake, sure the flour does not fall through the sieve without Silvers, At the end of the same flour whitened the groom and bride to whitewashing and to age.

On Friday the Keratzides (mule drivers) decorated with horses and institutions carrying the dowry in the picturesque streets of the village, ending at the central square where the cut will be the wedding. Sunday was the shaving of the groom, laminated rifle, ceremonies cherries first bratimou of the bride and the command that started the wedding, the start of the Bride, The wedding procession, the return of the bride and groom, The wedding meal, groom hanging from bratimia, Taxis bride, fill the pitcher with water from the central fountain, breaking the pitcher, shopping and finally the groom with the necessary opening of the new household.

It is an attempt to become the Cultural Organization of the Municipality to maintain the traditions and heritage of our region, and an opportunity to rediscover the old and the young to know that the marriage was in Pelion the good old days. A marriage different from all other, moreover, the only thing you can wish for and year.

Even the two evenings watching traditional dances from Pelion and other parts of Greece, the dance group "ORMINIO".

End, the main square in a specially designed space to exhibit local farm products and offer complimentary local wine and raki, with similar snacks, why a wedding all the guests must kerniountai.Meta end customs followed folk festival.