Why do the greeks smash plates at weddings?

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..Tolia..

we dont anymore

we prefer throwing flowers instead
we used to break plates, not only in weddings, but also when we had every kind of celebration, its an action of passion, of warmness, of joy - just for Greeks!

:)

alf w

They don't smash them on purpose, they drop them because they are bloody hot. If they ate salads then it could be served on a cold plate it would'nt happen

Denicia

Really? That is interesting. Also, we Macedonians in past on Wedding smashed plates and father in low burned shirt, but now we accept something modern like in American movies. I don't know, I forget to ask my grand parents why and they are not in life.

Alex

Greeks smash plates at the weeding so that they would be able to recognize each other by matching the two halves even if many years passed before they met again. There is also a belief that by smashing the plat they forget the past and look forward to the new beginning.

Megs Sixx

so that they don't have to clean the plates afterwards. lol

Artemis

Nobody smashed any plates at my wedding. Did I miss out on something?

Mag R

Hi, we german people do the same, it's giving luck to the newly weds, to overcome broken porcelains together means the wedding promise will be kept for a lifetime.

Airpole

The smashing of plates is more or less obsolete in Greece and has been left as a memory only in very few places.
Smashing plates is never done on weddings. Is not considered in.
That habit is carried out mostly on Greek restaurants or clubs in USA and anywhere else but not in Greece.
Besides what you see on movies about Greece is not always a true account of Greek life.

[â™¥]Rae Rae[â™¥]

Why do Greeks break plates?
Greeks smashing plates to accompany musicians is a mental image of Greece practically as common as the sight of the Parthenon. But if it were really as common in Greece as foreigners believe, there wouldn't be a saucer left intact in the entire country. How did this noisy custom get started?

Ancient Origins
In its earliest form, plate smashing may be a survival of the ancient custom of ritually "killing" the ceramic vessels used for feasts commemorating the dead. The voluntary breaking of plates, which is a type of controlled loss, may also have helped participants in dealing with the deaths of their loved ones, a loss which they could not control.
Similar offerings may also have been presented at other times to include the dead in festival proceedings, with the result that this custom for the dead began to be tied in with all kinds of celebrations.

Use them once, then throw them away
One also has to be suspicious of the ancient wandering potters who used to travel from village to village making their wares wherever the clay was good and there was enough wood to fire up a kiln.

asimenia

You know - I've been to weddings all over Greece (over a period of 20yrs) and have never once seen any plates smashed! Neither in cities nor villages!
I have seen it done in Cypriot restaurants in UK and toursit nights on islands - arranged by the travel rep (which was me a hundred years ago!)

xHarmonix29

nah i dont think they do it anymoree

Gyps

They didn't smash plates at my daughters wedding and only time I saw plates smashed was one ...early morning at a bar/lounge on Poros and this guy was dancing and another guy sitting near me began throwing glasses on the floor...the owner did not appreciate it at all!

Dolfy

I zink to encorage zare guests to buy zem new ones!

rayalev

I'm french and first time I saw that, I was suprised!!!! But it is tradition......... after I get a job as louloudou... a girl who sell you flowers to through them on someone you like dancing on the stage!!!!
Greek tradition

the_lipsiot

We don't.

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