GREEK ROYAL WEDDING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 105, 27 January 1908, Page 3

GREEK ROYAL WEDDING.

i BRILLIANT SCENE I^ T ATIIENSi - -.Following' hard on tho Bourbon-Orleans wedding;,; wh'icli .created so , much 'interest' in. Europe,; came the' wedding;bf Priricb.'Gijo'rge of Grecce to Princess Bonaparte, in Athensi •'. A. ; correspondent, of. 'tho 'Daily. Mail" give's' a'. graphic';,description,* 'ipf brilliant.' scene. . . . ; v - The religious ceromony^n/.connectioi^nvra l, the marriagb of. Prince George.'of Groece;;'aHd. Princess Marie-Bonaparte tookplace at the I Cathedral with all the' pomp- and, N splehdour pertaining ,to. the Greek rito;' : whilsi' 'tthc';ori-. thusiastic crowded ' the streets iarid - " throngecl tho, '-route of tho- wedding :pro'oossibh,;indipa'teiiat,:'oncb tho popularity,: of tho' union and 'thp';joyal.ty 'arid devotion' which . arb tho Royal 'Family. ' Ohe/manifestetipn. of. .the' popular rejoicing .wW tho. ' in' which tho j'viblet-crbwned hersolf, 'Athens being beflaggod , and decorated iwjtn, real and artificial ; Itowers and leaves, from the centre:but to tho, furthest suburb. ■Thoro Was not'a street, 'however tiny, or-a court, howorer' insignificant,, in which some offort at decoration had not Tjeen The -.Greek and French colours wore met at every The'vjrefflusrT was' ■ magnificent, 'and.! the, streets' began to fill at, dawn with : .an immense'crowd ,'iiot oiily of Athenians'but of peasantry, arid visitors,'who had conic.,in from all oyer Grbecb;'. It and | tho quaint costume's, of-tho peasants, mado the. Square of ,tlio, Constitution—the Trafalgar' Square of .Athens—look like the ■ stago; of a, theatre 'during ono of the latpr rehearsals of a comic opora, in which somo of tho characters have got their costumes and . others are still in the sombre garb of everyday. life.. The crowd, round the Cathedral was so great' and so "dense that, tho police, had/ tho greatest' difficulty in ' keeping' order, and in clearing an', avenuo for tho marriage procession from the Palaco to. Cathedral. As the carriage,, resplendent with gilding, drawn by six magnificent horses,; • appeared with tho bride, seated beside ■. her,, father, Prince Roland' Bonaparte, the crowd gaye vont to loud cries of "Zetol" Tho King and Prince-George rodo on horseback on.'either side of the! wed-lihg coach; ..'-.sv.V;.. The carriages .drove through:an ayeni)o. of flowers to Abe Cathedral, the-inside of.whjch was bcautifully-decorated, and was one blaze of dazzling light. Prince. George led his bride up to the. al | : ,T,. and. tho witnesses, Prince Waldemar of jJemnark and : Queen Olga of Greece, stood on their, right and left, holding onormous -waxen tapers. . . .:

Then tho long and elaborate marriage ritual of the orthodox Greek Church commenced, beginning with tho corcmqny;,of "espousals," in which two rings—one of gold, the other of silver —are-blessed by tho Metropolitan and given to the bride and • bridegroom. Tho marriage vows having been taken by Prince Georgo'and his bride, each ii candlo in tho left hand and' placing the right /oil tho Gospels, the rings were' bestowed, tho gold ono being handed to the bridegroom and tho silver ring to. tho bride. Then followed tho "coronation,',' light gold crowns being placed on the brows,< 0£....th0 bridalcouplo, who wero afterwards! .conducted to the ikons, of their patron saints, .before which they hent their heads in. prayer. ,Af,tor further ceremonies, including the blcssingand partaking of- tho "common'cup" containing wine, prayers of benediction wero •rebited, and tho elaborate cerenipnal, linked ' and blended by tho magnificent music rendered by'tho full choir, came to an' end, 'and Prince Georgo took his Princess by. ; th'oli,and and led her to tho King and Queen Of Hel : lenes, and to her father, who embraced'- tho newly-married couple. The Metropolitan had the assistance of eight Bishops'in performing tho ceremony. ; . ' Tho entire procession then returned to the Palace for tho wedding, breakfast, • Prince Georgo this time-sitting by tho'sido'of Princess Mario in tho State carriage drawn hy the six horses. Guns boomed, all tho. bells, in Athens'rang, and ' their clamour was drowned by tho vociferous "Zet'o."/ of the crowd. Aftor the wedding breakfast, the bride and bridegroom received.the congratulations' of Stato' officials and the Diplomatic Corps! The Acropolis was magnificently, illuminated at night, and so, for that;'matter, was all Athens. "