"Wedding traditions in West Macedonia aka Makedonikos gamos" "This movie is dedicated to the beloved people of Velvendo and especially to the late Mrs Lazena" "We thank the Educational Association and the community of Velvendo who helped creating this film in order to show a small part of the customs and the traditions of the great Greek nation" "Directed by:" "Takis Kanellopoulos" "When suddenly love comes along" "The young man will share his heartache with his mother" "She will understand, she'll smile and she'll sing with him" "Your lips, your cheeks, red, blue, yellow" "Then she will give to the match-maker one of her own old rings" "Tied to a flower and wrapped in a white cloth to take it to the bride's home" "If they accept it, it means that they agree to give their daughter" "They set the wedding day and they all start with the preparations" "The mother went to the big valley to pray for her son" "With her palms open she pleads" "My sun, my golden sun" "Make my son's days golden" "At dawn, the young men, with horses and mules went up the high mountain to gather firewood" "Wearing black jackets and white scarfs around their necks, they return singing" "They will give the firewood to the bride's and groom's houses" "And with these, they will lit the ovens to bake the bread for the wedding" "The groom's mother is walking on air and pleads to the god" "My Lord send rain My Lord send snow" "My Lord bring the sun to knead the bread" "They brought the big wooden tubs and with white flour and water they knead the bread that they will send to the bride's house" "They knead and they sing, they laugh and they remember their own wedding" "On the same day, the bride's mother and their relatives gathered to knead their own bread that they'll send to the groom's house" "While the mother lits the oven they sing "The proud bride"" "The water is running, the tap is running everyone is running to see the bride" "Here's our bride, here's our little weasel, the proud one" "Three young men from the village nail three apples on the flag and go to the river to hide the flag among the trees and the water in a concealed place until the wedding" "A tradition that holds from the age of slavery when they hid the flag from the barbarians" "Today the bride will show her dowery" "With her bridesmaids, she lays the dowery in the yard" "Carpets, rugs, embroided pillows furry rugs, embroideries all handmade from her and her mother cutlery and everything else" "She will show them all to the villagers, to see them and admire them" "Her friends offer nuts and ouzo" "And everyone give wishes by saying three times:" "Let them live, let them grow old Let them live, let them grow old" "Let them live, let them grow old" "On the afternoon, after they load the dowery on the cart and they put a round bread on the horse's ear" "The bride's brother goes around the streets with the dowery" "So that everyone can see it." "Children are running behind him" "And the people watch from their doors and windows and while smiling, they throw rice and give wishes" "With the firewood that her son's friends brought the mother will start fire to bake the "bontses"" "bread that people will eat at the wedding" "Before the sunset, she digs pits in the ground" "The bread should be sweet and tasty" "After she opens a pit for each loaf, she fills it with firewood" "Before sunset she lights each fire" "The firewood will be burning all night and the ash will heat up the pits" "And while in the village her son and his friends are playing music and singing" "She stares at the sky hoping it won't rain" "Sweet mother, the sky is smiling" "The earth is smiling, the whole world is smiling" "In the morning, she takes the ashes out of the pits" "She cleans each pit and puts the bread in" "Then she covers it with a lid" "She covers it with the hot soil" "And waits till next morning to collect them, baked from the heat of the pit" "Here, everyone says good morning and the day is good" "4 days before the wedding the "invites" take place" "From the two houses, the groom's and the bride's they send the children to the neiborhoods to invite people they place pieces of bread that they baked in griddles they also give them flowers and wine in small pots" "and they send them to all the houses" "The whole village is invited to this happy event and they must give wine, flowers and bread to everyone so that everyone can feel their joy" "In the meantime, the bride with the bridesmaids go to the tap to get fresh water" "So that the bride will throw coins to the children and everyone will say:" "Always have and always give" "Friday" "The wedding will take place the day after tomorrow and today it's like a fairytale for the children" "The bride's father, after decorating a white ram with flowers he brings it in the village's crossroads" "The chidren run and dance around it while the father is waiting" "Some of the groom's friends come runnig from different directions to take the ram" "The father gives the ram to the first prince and as he rushes to show it to the village the children run behind him chasing the fairytale" "When the sun sets" "The village women divided in groups take their presents to the bride" "All of them will be received happily with many thanks" "Near the tall mountain, the two mothers the groom's and the bride's, the relatives the neighbors, dance the ancient, local dance called "sinkathistos"" "a war dance that the women danced for the first time when once, they had to fight too" "Many people have arrived" "In the groom's yard" "His friends shave him" "His mother, right over his head, holds two white scarfs one for the tears and one for the face" "My heart is black and my son is leaving me" "I can't hide my sorrow" "At dawn, the groom's mother brings a little boy to the bride, so that they sleep on the same bed in order for her to make boys when she gives birth" "She, after kissing the mother's hand, will take the little boy, go up the stairs and bow down to the setting sun" "Elfs and fairies are lurking by the river" "The best man holding a drum and the groom with a knife go down by the river" "Tonight, on the wedding's eve the groom will dance around the knife" "Today is the wedding day" "Early in the morning the bridesmaids go to the bride's house to dress her and decorate her" "soon the whole village will gather to see the bride leaving" "Every bridesmaid helps the bride to wear her clothes" "The "katsouni", the "yordani", the scarf" "People wait in the street from where the groom and his friends will arrive" "After kissing the hands of everyone who came to his house to greet him the groom with his friends and the music organs go to pick up the bride" "When they put the scarf on her head, the bride is finally ready" "The old ladies are singing sitting on the floor" "The mother gives flowers to her girl" "First the flag and then the best-men with the music organs enter into the bride's yard" "The groom is last, hidding so that the bride won't see him before the wedding" "What are you waiting for my golden tree?" "Who are you waiting for?" "I'm waiting for my mother" "They break a round bread on the groom's head" "The bride goes down the stairs of her house for the last time as a girl" "And waits for her mother to come and greet her" "Our daughter grew up and she's leaving our house" "Everyone passes right in front of the bride, the relatives the neighbors, the village's old ladies and they greet her" "Why mother?" "Why mother?" "Why mother did you let me get married so young?" "Our girl is gone." "There goes the bride" "She goes far away" "All together, they take the bride to the church and the groom arrives last with his best-man a woman of the house breaks a clay pot" "The night will pass with songs" "And when the sun shines everybody will go on with their work back to the earth"