For a long time in Rus' there was a tradition according to which it was customary to meet the newlyweds with bread and salt. The parents did this. Now this custom has been transformed. Previously, it had a different form. The meeting of the bride and groom with a loaf of bread was considered in Rus' a necessary condition for marriage.
The newlyweds were supposed to go to permanent residence with the groom's parents after the wedding. And already there the betrothed’s mother, her sisters and father met the young family, presenting them with a loaf of bread. They thereby wished for a good life, which would be much better than theirs.
Customs of meeting newlyweds with a loaf
Nowadays, the tradition of greeting people with bread and salt has changed. No one lives with their parents anymore and weddings are no longer held at home. It is important to note that this custom is so popular with newlyweds that it still exists even at modern weddings .
Mom meets the newlyweds in a cafe or restaurant. She is the very first one with a loaf of bread at the threshold. The task of the young spouses is to break off several pieces from the loaf. The one who has the largest piece will be the main one in the house. And the partner who has a small piece left will obey.
On the one hand, by refusing certain rituals, you can lose the originality of the wedding celebration. On the other hand, it is convenience and comfort. Mom and dad do not need to go home immediately after the wedding celebration. Of course, all this simplifies the organization of the wedding ceremony.
In addition, think that not only the young couple, but also the entire wedding procession, comes to the house of the groom’s parents. And as usual, according to hospitable traditions, they need to be fed and treated to champagne. If you remove this part, you can save money and give it to a young couple.
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Loaf at a wedding, traditions, text.
Before conducting the bread and salt ritual, parents should prepare and purchase in advance:
- loaf;
- towel;
- icon.
Previously, it was customary to bake a loaf yourself. Now almost no one does this. Mostly everything is ordered from bakeries. After a wedding, many families wonder what to do with the loaf.
There are several options for this question:
- You can give it to young spouses.
- Cut in half and distribute between the parents of both the bride and groom.
- Give to guests at the wedding reception.
The groom's parents will have to decide which option to choose, since they will be the ones preparing the loaf for the wedding ceremony. Basically everything is given to the newlyweds. This is a very tasty bread with sweet notes. Therefore, the next day you can eat it with pleasure, washed down with tea.
In addition to the loaf itself, it is worth taking care of the towel. It is a towel embroidered in Russian folk style.
Please note that the ritual with a loaf is called “bread and salt”. Therefore, there is no way to do this custom without the salt itself. Special bread is baked with a depression in the middle. This is where the salt shaker is carefully inserted. The young people pinch off a piece of bread and dip it in salt. A meeting with a loaf of bread at a wedding is always held in the presence of guests.
Before performing the bread and salt ritual, parents must bless the newlyweds. To do this, take an icon with you and read a special prayer.
Often the toastmaster conducts the loaf ceremony, but she is in charge of the organization itself. Her responsibilities include meeting the newlyweds, arranging the rest of the guests, and asking the photographer to organize the shooting.
And the ceremony itself should be carried out by the parents. It is their words of love and support that their newly married children are waiting for.
Sample meeting scenario
- All the guests will also help organize a bright meeting of the newlyweds, who usually stand in two lines , letting the bride and groom pass to their parents holding a loaf and an icon.
- Welcome words and congratulations to the mother of the groom .
- Treat with a loaf of bread.
- Blessing icon.
- Response words from the young.
- Congratulations and applause from the guests , showering them with flower petals, rice, and coins.
- Inviting everyone to a celebration in the restaurant hall.
Advice! It often happens that parents get lost out of excitement, forget words and don’t know how to behave, so it would be better to entrust the leadership of the whole action to the presenter. He will tell you the order of performance of each participant and smooth out unforeseen unpleasant situations.
How to serve a wedding loaf?
The mother-in-law plays the main role in treating the young to loaves of bread. She is the one who should hold the wedding bread and pronounce parting words and wishes.
The treat must be presented solemnly and, at the same time, sincerely, so it is better for the groom’s mother to prepare a small touching speech of congratulations in advance. The groom's father holds the icon and then blesses the newlyweds with it for a happy life.
What should I say? Parents' words
Below we have selected several texts that you can use when welcoming and blessing your new husband and wife.
Advice! The best option would be to prepare 3-4 sentences in your own words. In them you can include the most sincere wishes for your children. Don't forget to write them down on a piece of paper, as the day will be exciting not only for the newlyweds.
What should young people do?
Two options are allowed :
- The young break off a small piece, dip them in salt and treat each other. This means the care of the spouses in family life.
- The bride and groom take turns taking a bite of bread, identifying the owner of the house. The one who bites off the larger piece is considered the head of the family.
Words on a loaf from parents at a wedding
As a rule, it is the mother who holds the loaf. This is due to the fact that a woman is considered the main one in the house in terms of coziness, comfort and food. She cooks, cleans and raises children. She has a huge responsibility. Therefore, she must keep a delicious loaf and treat it to the young.
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Meeting of the newlyweds with the icon, words from the groom’s mother.
At the same time, the father does not stand idle. He has a tray of drinks in his hands. After the spouses take a bite of the loaf, they are invited to drink from a jug. It is prepared in advance and serves to seal the alliance. How do parents greet newlyweds with a loaf of bread?
From the groom's parents
What should you say to the groom's parents at the wedding? Before making a speech in front of the loaf, mom comes out with an icon and asks the bride and groom to kiss the shrine.
She says a prayer and asks God to make the lives of her children turn out in the most beautiful and harmonious way possible.
- My dear guys, may your life only become more beautiful and richer day by day. Try our loaf, and let your life work out. Take a bite for your sweet daughter and little son. Our loaf is as sweet as your entire future life. There are no flaws in it, just like there are no flaws in your relationship.
- Dear children, accept a delicious and sweet loaf from our family to yours. May he fill your life with happiness, wealth and a favorable atmosphere. I would like to wish you love, harmony and boundless happiness.
From the bride's parents
Who brings a loaf of bread to the newlyweds at a wedding? Not only the groom’s parents, but also the bride’s mother make touching speeches during the bread and salt ceremony.
- Newlyweds, today is a happy day for all of you. Before you taste the loaf, I would like to give you an instruction. Love each other, take care and hold tight. And of course, don’t forget about us, your parents. We will pray for your family and hope that it will become big and strong.
- Guys, try the delicious bread soon. And let it become the key to health and family longevity. Be sure to share a piece with the people closest to you. The loaf is charged with positive emotions. This means they will definitely happen to those you love.
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Who greets the newlyweds with bread and salt?
According to ancient custom, the groom's parents should greet the newlyweds . By treating them with bread and salt, they bless the new family and welcome the daughter-in-law into their home.
Unfortunately, there are situations when the groom's parents for some reason cannot attend the wedding. What to do in this case?
Other close relatives who took part in raising the groom can present the loaf.
This can be done, for example, by his grandparents. If there are no suitable candidates on the part of the newly-made spouse, then you can ask the bride’s parents to participate. Additionally: What should the loaf be like and where can I order it? What are superstitions and signs? What do the patterns on the loaf mean? Read about this in our previous article.
Poems for newlyweds
If you want to look original when meeting a young married couple, then you can prepare several simple quatrains for them. They should not have a complex rhyme.
Congratulations on the wedding: bread and salt.
Make them as light and simple as possible. Poems about a loaf for a wedding:
Dear children, Try our loaf. He is magical, unearthly. Look how handsome he is. May our sweet treat. Bring you more patience. After all, it will depend on him what it will be like for you to live together. Love and laugh, Have fun and live.
Hospitality is a tradition
The Russian people have always been distinguished by their hospitality and cordiality.
The attitude towards guests in Rus' was special. Guests, even random ones, were treated with honor and respect. It was believed that the traveler who looked into the house had seen a lot on his way, knew a lot, and had a lot to learn from him. And if the guest enjoys the warm welcome, then from his words the good fame of the owner of the house and of Rus' will spread throughout the world. The main task of the owner was to feed his dear guest as best as possible; the best dishes were presented to him. The sayings “What is in the oven, everything is on the table”, “Even though he is not rich, he is glad to have guests”, “Don’t feel sorry for the guest, pour him thicker” have survived to this day. If the upcoming meeting of guests was known in advance, then preparations began several days in advance. There was a custom to greet dear guests at the doorstep with bread and salt. Usually the bread, always placed on a clean towel (rushnyk), was brought out to the guests by the hostess of the house or the woman whose hands the loaf was baked. At the same time, the towel indicated the path that the guest had taken. In addition, it symbolized God's blessing. Bread and salt were symbols of wealth and well-being, and salt was also attributed the properties of a “amulet.” To greet a guest with “bread and salt” meant to invoke God’s mercy on him and add your wishes for goodness and peace. However, guests could also bring bread and salt into the house, expressing special respect for the owner and wishing him prosperity and prosperity.
“Every traveler was, as it were, sacred for the Slavs: they greeted him with affection, treated him with joy, saw him off with reverence...” - N.M. Karamzin.
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Bread and salt have long been combined together in Russian speech, which is reflected in the proverb: “Without salt it is not tasty, and without bread it is not satisfying.” And the very expression “bread and salt” at first simply meant food, food, and later - a treat. This ancient custom has been preserved since time immemorial. In the traditional culture from which we come, which we continue so sluggishly and uncertainly, bread as a blessing, as an oath, was at the head of everything: if you don’t take the bread off the table and sweep away the crumbs, your home will have prosperity and completeness.
By breaking the bread and dipping it in salt, the guest establishes a special trusting relationship with the hosts and admits the purity of his intentions and thoughts. The duet of bread and salt is not accidental: a wheat or rye fragrant loaf symbolized prosperity and prosperity, and salt, a rare spice in those days, was credited with the ability to protect against evil spirits. When inviting you to a feast, in Rus' they said: “Come in for bread and salt.”
If guests were received in the house, the meal began and followed a certain scenario.
The table, as usual laden with dishes, was located in the “red corner” next to the benches. There was a belief that those sitting on these benches enjoyed the special protection of saints.
According to tradition, the hostess of the house appeared at the beginning of the meal, dressed in her best attire. She greeted the guests with a bow to the ground. The guests bowed in response and, at the owner’s suggestion, came up to kiss her. According to long-established custom, each guest was given a glass of vodka.
After the “kissing ritual,” the hostess went to a special women’s table, which served as a signal for the start of the meal. The host cut off a piece of bread for each guest and sprinkled it with salt.
Treating the guest with bread and salt established a friendly, trusting relationship between the guest and the host; refusing them was regarded as an offensive gesture. In the Novgorod province, if someone who came to the hut refused the treat, they would say to him with offense: “How can you leave an empty hut like that!”
In “Domostroy” it was recommended to give the enemy a drink and feed him bread and salt, so that there would be “friendship instead of enmity.” Hospitable hosts are still called “hospitable” today.
In the 17th century large monasteries sent black rye bread to the royal feast, part of the bread of the spiritual fathers, thereby blessing the autocrat. This bread was the first thing that was placed on the table at the king’s meal.
Also, at the beginning of the meal, the steward presented the king with large oblong loaves of bread, which were distributed to everyone present from senior to junior in rank. Anyone who accepted the bread and subsequently dared to betray the king was considered abandoned by God, cursed.
The attitude towards bread was reverent, it was considered the basis of well-being, and was associated in the minds of the people with long and hard work. Salt at that time was a very expensive product, which was used only on special occasions. Even in the royal house, salt shakers were located closer to the king himself and the most important guests. In addition, it was believed that salt drove away evil spirits. Therefore, presenting bread and salt meant sharing what was most precious with the guest, expressing respect and at the same time wishing well-being and goodness.
Actions performed with salt were given close attention. Salt will crumble - to trouble, quarrel, because salt is a symbol of fidelity, friendship, constancy. And if they passed salt to another across the table, it was necessary to laugh loudly, so that again there would be no quarrel. At the same time, laughter protects against evil spirits: laughter as a sign of a living person, not just alive, but cheerful, full of strength and energy, means there is no place for evil spirits here! Also, to avoid discord, they threw salt and spat over their left shoulder. With exactly the same actions and words: “It’s the “left”, let them fight, and Christ is with us!” drove away hostile forces.
Salt, like a magical talisman, protected from the “evil eye” and warded off otherworldly, “alien” influences that a person encountered both in everyday life and in ritual situations that were significant for him and the entire society. In the past, the owner of the house, as a rule, salted himself shared food, and you could sprinkle a little salt on the tablecloth. However, under no circumstances should one dip bread in a salt shaker, because “only Judas dipped bread in a salt shaker.”
According to ancient Russian custom, parents greet the newlyweds with bread and salt and invite all guests to the festive table.
The newlyweds are sure to take a bite of the loaf, finding out which of them will be the “first” in the family, and accepting the blessing for their family.
Sayings about bread and salt
- Bread and salt to lead (to know, to be friends with someone)
- I remember your bread and salt
- Bread and salt is a mutual matter
- They don’t refuse bread and salt
- Bread and salt, and lunch is on!
- They don’t sit down to dinner without bread and salt.
- Eat bread and salt, and listen to good people
- Young: mother didn’t eat enough of her father’s bread and salt
- Without bread, without salt, a bad conversation (half a conversation)
- Bread and salt and a stone in your bosom
- Not for bread and salt said (bad word)
- After bread and salt, good people rest for seven hours
- Bread and salt payment is red
- Bread and salt on the table, and your hands
- Eat bread and salt, but cut the truth (or: cut the truth)
- To carry bread and salt is not to carry a steelyard (not to walk with a steelyard)
- Bread and salt does not scold (does not scold)
- Fight with bread and salt
- Bread and salt borrowed (mutual, repayable) business
- Throw bread and salt back and you'll find yourself ahead
- Bread to bread brother (about hospitality)
- The one who gives water and food is good; and he is not bad who remembers bread and salt
- For bread, for salt, for cabbage soup with kvass, for noodles, for porridge, for your mercy (thank you)!
- “Bread and salt!” or “bread and salt!” - wishes, greetings to those who entered the hut during lunch; answer: “we ask!” or humorous “Eat yours!”[2]
- Bread and salt for you - sleep and slumber for me
- You can't imagine better bread and salt
Source : https://www.kuljturastran.ru/?p=5846
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