Picures: top left, right and lower centre, mymemories.gr, top middle and lower left, thallo.com, bottom right, palladium.com.gr
This is a small collection of some of my favourite stefana collections that are on sale at the moment, I particularly like the pair that look like blades of wheat, the white and yellow gold leaves and the minimal wire strings with occasional crystals on them!
The Stefana symbolise the crowning of the couple and this part of the service is considered the most important of the entire ceremony. Originally the crowns were made of orange blossom, myrtle leaves, later this evolved to something a little more permanent with semiprecious stones and metals, or threads of gold and crimson, which represent the royalty of marriage. The koumbaros (best man) is the person in charge of purchasing and presenting the couple with two crowns joined by a white ribbon, symbolizing the couple's unity. The priest places the crowns on the couple's heads while they face the altar, then the koumbaros swaps the crowns on the couple's heads three times. According to ancient custom, the crowns are to stay with the couple for life (some couples are even buried in them!).
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