Marriage.—Both by the law of the land and the church law, marriage in Greece is treated as a social status which can only be concluded by a religious celebration. A civil ceremony has no validity. If both the parties or one of them are baptized members of the Orthodox Greek church, the marriage must be celebrated before a priest and in accordance with the laws and rites of that church.
When both of the parties are Roman Catholics they must be married by a priest of their religion. If one of the parties is a Roman Catholic and the other a member of the Orthodox Greek Church, the marriage must be solemnized by a priest of the latter church. The rule is that mixed marriages must be solemnized by a priest of the Greek Church.
Jews and Protestants may be married by the ministers of their respective denominations.
Age.—The marriageable age of males begins at the completion of their fourteenth year, and that of females at the completion of their twelfth year.
Consents.—The free consent of the contracting parties is essential. For a man under twenty-one years of age, or a woman under eighteen years of age, the parental consent is also necessary.
Monogamy.—All persons are forbidden to contract a new marriage until a previous marriage has been dissolved by death or divorce.
Consanguinity and Affinity.—Marriage is prohibited between persons of whom one is descended in a direct line from the other. Collateral kinsmen are forbidden to marry within the sixth degree. The degrees are counted according to the Roman law method of reckoning which counts the number of descents between the persons on both sides from the common ancestor. The authorities of the national church may upon such facts as to them seem proper grant a dispensation allowing a marriage within the forbidden degrees.
Spiritual Relationship.—Marriage is expressly forbidden between godparents and their godchildren, and between godchildren who have the same godparent. A church dispensation is, however, easily obtained, relieving the parties from the last mentioned impediment.
Special Prohibitions.—Persons suffering from defective intellect, insanity, syphilis or epilepsy are forbidden to conclude marriage.
Persons under religious vows to remain celibate cannot conclude marriage unless dispensed from such vows.