A lot more than 500,000 Greeks — 90 percent males — emigrated to your United States between 1880 and 1920, producing a nightmare that is demographic their future as a residential area as a result of not enough ladies.
The era of the picture bride was born and thousands of young Greek women were sent to America, many only after having seen their prospective husbands in a photograph that was sent to the village from faraway America by a friend or relative attempting to make the connection, or from a marriage agency set up in the immigrant communities abroad as a result.
It absolutely was a dangerous journey for unwed girls, and though some had been enthusiastic to go out of Greece for the mythical “” new world “”, many were forced against their might to go out of and commence brand brand brand new everyday lives with phase — usually much older — guys.
Many tales had been passed away from lips to lips and town to village about young girls left in the docks or train channels since they are not as stunning as their photographs, or because the potential spouse never ever turned up to claim their bride.
Image brides quickly joined the consciousness of Greeks on both edges regarding the Atlantic.
Popular Greek singer Rita Abazis recorded a track called “Min Me Stelneis Mana Stin Ameriki” or perhaps in English, “Mama Don’t forward me personally to America” of a child begging to her mother never to send her to America.
Mama, don’t send us to America, I’ll wither and perish here. We don’t want dollars — how do We state it? Just bread, onions, plus the one i really like. I favor some body within the town, Mama, A handsome youth, a son that is only. He’s kissed me personally into the ravines, And embraced me personally underneath the trees that are olive. Yiorgo, my love, I’m causing you to be, And I’m going a long way away. They’re marrying me personally down in exile (xenitia). They just just just take me personally such as for instance a lamb become slaughtered, And here, in my own grief, they shall bury me personally.
When you look at the 1920s and 30s, the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA) arranged trips from the chapters throughout the U.S. to Greece because of its male-only users to fulfill brides that are prospective.
Usually showing up using their AHEPA fez and strange western clothes, these males were frequently mocked and feared simultaneously by bands of town girls who had been arranged to fit by having a prospective husband.
Another track entered Greek popular culture — “Den Ton Thelo ton Ahepa,” or in English, “I don’t desire the Ahepa” — which pokes enjoyable during the fez they wore signifying their account when you look at the Greek-American organization that is fraternal.
We don’t want the Ahepa how do We let you know? Regardless of how numerous millions he has, i enjoy some other person
Everyone loves a slim waistline We don’t wish him, We don’t want him The Ahepa using the fez
The public that is american interested in the image bride sensation, practiced extensively by Greeks, Armenians along with other folks from Eastern Europe as well as the center East.
A phenomenon that is similar occurring regarding the western Coast with Japanese along with other oriental cultural teams.
The newest York occasions as well as other US magazines ran tales regularly about ship arrivals with image brides, also including scandalizing details like “three teenage boys have been doomed to dissatisfaction” whenever their brides to be “exercised a woman’s privilege of changing her brain and announced they had dropped in deep love with fellow passengers” in the journey throughout the Atlantic.
Nevertheless other tales involved image brides bringing presents due to their husbands, including a person who brought a seat, simply to discover he does not drive horses but rather drives an automobile.
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