1.

Spitting to ward off the devil

Ian: Is she spitting on him?
Toula: Yeah. Its for good luck. Keeps the devil away.
Spitting in Greece involves more noise and less spit. This was started early when
people used to spit on children while getting baptised to avoid evil
2.

Eating, always
Maria: Ian, are you hungry?
Ian: Oh, no, I already ate.
Maria: Ok, I make you something

Greece remains a country where eating, and the experience of eating together, is
central to the culture. Nearly every scene in the movie involving the Portokalos
involves food.
Where (almost) everyone has the same name
3. Gus: Over here, is my brother, Ted, and his wife Melissa, and their
children Anita, Diane, and Nick. Over here, my brother Tommy, his
wife Angie, and they (sic) children Anita, Diane, and Nick. My brother
George, his wife Frieda, and they (sic) children, Anita, Diane, and
Nick.
One of scenes from the movie that always gets the most laughs from my Greek
friends is when the protagonists father is introducing his brothers and their
children. He rattles off a series of names, all of them the same: Anita, Diane, and
Nick.
Though a seemingly hyperbolic effort to achieve comedy is employed here, the
writers were only being true to tradition. In Greece, children are typically named
following a specific pattern: The first son is named after the paternal grandfather,
the first daughter after the paternal grandmother, the second son after the
maternal grandfather, and so on. Fathers names are given to the children as
middle names in an attempt to avoid confusion, but confusion initially, for me
abounded.
4. Greeces national symbol, their flag with the cross, states the deep-rooted
connection between the country and Christianity. The fact that Ian is not a
Christian Orthodox, but rather a WASP, creates a great problem. He has to be
baptized in order to get married with Toula
5. Greek hairstyling and dressing code. Generally, there is attention to detail,
augmenting ethnic traits to the point where they are funny without being
insulting. From home decor and food to hair, clothes and makeup, nothing is
left out.
6. Toula's father has bought a house near to them. Buying a house near the
parents' also shows that 'loyalty' and being close are highly valued in Greek
culture where there is a culture of relatedness.
7.