Gun culture in Crete
Anyone who has lived in Crete for any length of time is almost certain to have witnessed the firing of guns into the air – anything from a pistol to a Kalashnikov – at a wedding, baptism or some other such ceremony. The practice, known in Crete as “balothies”, is sometimes random, when the excitement at a “glendi” reaches a certain pitch, or it may be choreographed. We have ourselves witnessed a volley of automatic fire being loosed off as the bride at a local wedding, surrounded by her family, made her way from her house to the church. On another occasion, at an evening reception after a wedding, we were told that the volleys of gunfire were timed to coincide with certain key events, such as the bride’s father getting up to dance with the bridegroom’s mother.