When my Chinese friend Jacqueline Wong got married to a Greek man in an Orthodox ceremony, many guests were surprised that the priest kept calling her "Elizabeth." It was not a mistake. "Since 'Jacqueline' is not recognized as a Christian name," explains my friend, she had to pick an appropriate name, so she chose "Elizabeth."
The essential text and faith of the Greek Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are the same, with slight variations in the wedding ceremony. In the Greek service, the best man assists with the crowning of the couple. Many rituals are repeated three times to honor the Holy Trinity.
The sacrament of matrimony begins with a betrothal ceremony that includes the blessing and placing of the rings on the fingers (on the right hand, not the left) of the bride and groom by the priest. This signifies the bond in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rather than in the name of a human agent. During the marriage ceremony proper, the crowning of the couple takes place. The bride and groom are given a cup of wine called "the common cup of joys and sorrows," which is not Holy Communion; the couple must have received Communion prior to the wedding day. In another ritual, the bride and groom, with the assistance of the best man, walk around the ceremonial table three times.
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