One of the most beloved and well-known wedding songs, according to researcher Alberto Nar. It appears in numerous sources with a variety of lyrical variations. Rabbi Michael Molho, in his book Traditions and Customs of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica, vividly describes the context in which the Jews of Thessaloniki sang this song:

"By midnight, the older guests had left. Only the bride's mother remained, or, in her absence, an older sister or aunt, along with the groom's parents, if the house where the couple would stay belonged to them. The newlywed bride would enter her bedroom, where her mother would find her to give her blessing and, most importantly, her advice for the upcoming marital life. Other married men, friends of the groom, would similarly prepare him for the same subject.

With the final preparations complete, the men would lift the groom onto their shoulders and triumphantly carry him to the door of the bridal chamber, while the women sang, shouted, and clapped to the following song."*

In this study, we present recordings from the archive of Moshe Saul, as well as the version documented by Rabbi Michael Molho. Alberto Nar, in his book Keimeni epi aktis… thalassis (Lying on the Shore of the Sea), records an alternative and more extensive version, which, as he notes, is based on the oral testimony of Yaakov Tsidikario. The latter is identified as the same person mentioned in Moshe Saul's recording, though the lyrics differ from source to source.

Source: Archive of Moshe Saul - El Trezoro de Kanters de Sefarad, Archive #710 https://folkmasa.org/avshir/shirp.php?mishtane=710 Sung by Yaakov Tsidikario Source: Michael Molho - Traditions and Customs of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica