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They do not stand still: some are becoming a thing of the past, others are changing in accordance with modern demands. The ritual with a loaf, which today determines the future owner in the house, has practically not undergone any changes. How did this tradition originate, what significance did it have?

Tradition "Bread and salt" in ancient times it was associated not only with wedding ceremonies. Round bread baked by the hostess in Russia welcomed dear guests... Bread was associated with wealth, and salt served as a talisman against impure forces.

It was salt that was considered a symbol of a bright, sinless soul. Such a meeting meant a calling as a guest of God's grace, established friendly family ties between the participants in this action.

V Ancient Rus the loaf was sign of blessing of the young for a long and happy life... The groom's parents greeted the newlyweds with a special wedding bread in their hands, taking the chosen one of their son into their family.

The round shape of the product resembled the sun, which gives the earth fertility, and people satiety and prosperity. These wishes were passed on to the young during the ceremony.

Symbolism

Everything in the preparation of wedding bread was symbolic. It was to be kneaded and baked by a woman who is happy in family life and has healthy children. It was believed that she transfers her positive energy to the newlyweds. They tried to decorate the baked product festively.

Each decor element had a special meaning:

rings associated with marriage;
spikelets- fertility and prosperity;
pigeons or swans- the loyalty of the spouses;
the Rose- femininity, beauty;
viburnum- love, unity;
scythe- the willingness of the bride to become a spouse.

In ancient times, one loaf was baked, which was intended to meet the young in the groom's house. However, it was believed that each guest should have tasted the wedding bread, since it was a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

Today, when organizing weddings with a large number of invitees, sometimes the newlyweds have a question: is one loaf enough? Quite, because the guests will not take a huge slice, but a small piece.

Advice! Choose the weight and size of the item based on the number of guests.

It is permissible to prepare two loaves for a wedding, especially if a wedding is planned on the same day. Then the young leave the second bread in the church as a gift.

Where to order?

In ancient times, this special bread was baked in the groom's family. Nowadays it is customary to make it to order. They can offer their services pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, private craftsmen... The cost of the product varies depending on the weight and features of the decor.

The average price of a beautiful loaf (1.5 kg) - 1000-1500 rubles. A more chic option will cost 1500-2000 rubles. Individuals can order a small wedding bread (1 kg) even from 300-500 rubles.

Important! When choosing a place where you will order a loaf for a wedding, trust the recommendations of your friends, study the reviews of previous clients.

What should be the wedding bread?

In ancient times, it was believed that the size and quality of the loaf also predicted the fate of the young. If he turned out to be magnificent and tall, then this promised prosperity in a new family. Too browned bread testified to the grumpy nature of the future spouse.

Today appearance loaf young can choose themselves. It can even be a simple rich bread with a small depression in the center for a salt shaker. However, it is better to make it look festive.

Delicious round bread with beautiful dough figurines will delight the newlyweds and their guests. Make sure that the figures on the finished product are positioned correctly. So, if birds are used for decoration, then they should be directed towards each other, which indicates the unity of the souls of the newlyweds.

How is the ceremony going?

For the loaf ritual, you will need some more accessories:

salt shaker usually placed on bread;
beautiful towel for presenting wedding bread;
icon to bless the young;
shot glasses with wine, champagne.

Who meets

According to the ancient tradition of newlyweds the parents of the groom meet. Mother holds bread on an embroidered towel and says parting words. Father blesses with an icon symbolizing the spiritual traditions of a young family.

What should the young do?

The most common version of the loaf rite is to determine the future owner of the house. Young bite off a loaf... Whose piece is bigger, he wins. It is also possible to simply treat each other with bread, after salting it.
After regaling the loaf, the newlyweds are also offered to drink wine. Having drained the glasses to the end, the bride and groom must smash to the ground.
After the blessing of the icon young people need to kiss her as a sign of acceptance of Christian covenants.
At the end of the ceremony, the newlyweds thank parents and kiss them.

What are wedding cones?

They also baked in Russia wedding cones- small buns made from the dough left over from the loaf. Their young people were handed over to everyone who was invited to the wedding. None of those who received such an invitation had the right to refuse.

Modern newlyweds are presented with wedding cones in the process of accepting gifts from guests... Thus, they thank for the gift and share a piece of their love and happiness.

Signs and superstitions

Water for the dough had to be brought from 7 wells, and flour had to be taken from 7 bags.
A married man put a loaf in the oven.
A cracked loaf is a bad omen.
The finished bread must be protected from prying eyes.
At the festival, it is shared by the godparents of the bride and groom.
Every guest should taste the wedding bread. It bodes well.

What can be replaced?

Modern creative couples can be offered original alternatives to the traditional loaf:

Caviar sandwiches symbolize wealth and prosperity.
Berries with cream. Young treat each other by dipping berries in cream.
Bagels with honey. One bagel is broken in half and dipped in honey.
Black and white chocolate. The groom takes black chocolate, and the bride takes white chocolate, then they treat each other.
Fortune-telling baked goods. The newlyweds choose a cookie, cupcake or croissant, break it up and read the prediction.
Fruit on skewers.
Ice cream.
Pizza.
Cake.
Slices of watermelon.

Photo examples

In the pictures and photos below, you can see a variety of wedding bread options, as well as patterns for it:

Wedding cones

Since ancient times, the parents of the groom met the newly-made spouses with bread and salt. After all, it was to their house that he brought his betrothed. Nowadays, this tradition has been somewhat simplified, and the loaf is waiting for the young in the banquet hall or other room where the wedding is celebrated.

What is required to meet young people with a loaf

To begin with, the loaf should be large. Its size and all kinds of decorations predict a rich and happy life for the newlyweds. Of course, you can not create unnecessary trouble for yourself and just buy ready-made round bread at the bakery. However, this will deprive yourself of enough interesting pastime. And what the wedding loaf symbolizes will lose its relevance. After all, you don't even know who baked it and with what mood.

According to tradition, only women were allowed to engage in wedding ritual baking. For this, one of the happiest married ladies was invited to the groom's house. She kneaded the dough, constantly humming positive love songs. And when forming the bread, round like the sun, she read prayers. "Our Father" and "to the Mother of God" were considered obligatory. A man sent the loaf in. Also married and accomplished. Thus, the bread absorbed the positive energy of family well-being. And passed down from generation to generation.

Decor wedding loaf and towel

At first, the baked goods were decorated only with viburnum branches, a night later, each element of the decor became iconic:

ears of wheat - wealth,
viburnum - love,
braids are an inextricable bond between spouses.
figurines of swans - loyalty and devotion. It is interesting that it is swans that are found in many. Along with the grape, which symbolizes fertility. Both in business and in the pursuit of offspring.

In fact, the decoration of the loaf for the newlyweds echoed the pictures embroidered on the towel. The painted towel also made a lot of sense. Firstly, it had to be very beautiful, so the embroidery was entrusted to experienced craftswomen. Secondly, the towel was made two-sided: the female side and the male side. The jewelry went in three rows. The first personified the continuity of generations and used plant motifs. Second - best wishes to the bride and groom. For example, red cockerels, symbolizing happiness and health, or roses for eternal love in the house. The third row served as a talisman for the young. Most often, the crown acted in this capacity. She was perceived as a request for God's blessing on marriage.

Today the towel is given less value... But you should still choose it very carefully. After all, you will keep this towel for many years, remembering with joy your important day. And the photo of the wedding carnivore will take worthy place in your album.

The same goes for the salt shaker. Do not spoil the beautiful wedding bread with any salt shaker. It is better to buy it together with a towel set - a traditional white one with a painting or a more laconic wooden one.

How to meet the young with a loaf

If you follow the Russian tradition, then the answer to the question of who keeps the loaf at the wedding will be unambiguous. This is the groom's mother, or an older relative who replaces her. There should be a father or godfather with a sicon nearby. The guests form a semicircle, encouraging the young. Sometimes, before the meeting, special words are spoken for the wedding loaf.

Round bread is placed on a towel without a plate, and a salt shaker is placed in the middle. The towel itself should hang loosely on the sides almost to the floor, but not in contact with it.

The one who should meet the young with a loaf blesses the newly made spouses. Parents' greeting words at the wedding may sound like this:

But it is not necessary to clothe your parting words in a poetic form. A few sincere kind words with the conclusion "advice and love" will be enough. The main thing is that they go with a pure heart.

Tip: You can take the icon of the Virgin or the Savior to the meeting of the newlyweds. Or a fold, in which both icons are presented at once.

Young people bow to their parents and thank them. Then, to the applause of the guests, a meal of bread and salt follows. The bride and groom are invited to take a bite of the wedding pastry and eat it after salting. Traditional wedding entertainment is for the couple to hold their hands back and try to bite off as much of a bite as possible. The one who wins will be the master of the house.

If the groom's relatives greet the young with the loaf, the bride's parents serve glasses of champagne. And they can also congratulate the children and wish them happiness. Champagne must be drained to the bottom in order to "drink all love", and break the glasses, not regretting, imagining that with this ringing all troubles, both past and future, will go away.

On a note: Salting a piece of loaf is a must. Especially the bride. According to a long-standing tradition, it is believed that this is how she eats up all her tears.

Treat with wedding bread

After meeting with the loaf, the newlyweds and guests enter the banquet hall. Wedding bread is cut or broken into many pieces and distributed to guests. Taking away a particle of a loaf from a wedding is considered a good omen. Unmarried girls take bread ornaments from a loaf and put them under a pillow, hoping to see their betrothed in a dream.

In ancient times, there was an unspoken set of rules on how to divide a loaf. According to Russian wedding traditions, the process was led by the groom's boyfriend or best man, as he is now called. After the newlyweds, the parents received bread, then the older relatives, and only then the loaf reached the guests. Moreover, each piece was exchanged for a gift or money. The remains of the wedding loaf were handed out to the poor who were waiting in the street. So one can only imagine how big and tasty it was.

Note: Also, the loaf can be taken to the church. This will be a donation asking about peace and well-being in the family.

Traditions associated with wedding bread go back more than one hundred years. Therefore, if you want to preserve the continuity of generations, then try to learn everything about the wedding loaf and carry out this ceremony as colorful as possible. You can make your own adjustments to the scenario of the meeting, remember other wedding signs and draw up an excellent program based on them. Then your family life will begin with a beautiful and symbolic holiday.

Special words for a wedding loaf

As people love bread and salt, so would a husband love his wife. Just as salt cannot be replaced with sugar, so a husband cannot change a wife with a dark, not light, full, or thin, or smart, or stupid, or any another slave. As people love bread and salt, so would a husband's wife love. As salt cannot be replaced with sugar, so a wife cannot change her husband either with the dark, or with the light, or with the full, or with the thin, or with the clever, or with the stupid, or with any other slave. Amen.

Parents' words

Our dear children!

Take this loaf,

He is rosy, fresh and lush,

As hot as your hearts.

We put happiness in the middle for you,

Keep it until the end.

Our dear children! We give you bread and salt

So that you in this world divide everything in half.

There will be joy or sorrow - avoid unnecessary dramas,

You need to learn to yield to each other in an argument.

Live by faith and law, don't look for an easy life,

To welcome relatives, friends, to respect father and mother.

There will be children, there will be grandchildren - everything will go on as usual.

Husband, take your wife by the hand! And advice and love to you!

We have such a custom

From childhood he is familiar to us

To meet all guests with bread and salt

Bow low to the belt,

At the table in Russian,

Treat generously.

Bread for you, and salt,

Happiness and love

This is what the people say from time immemorial.

3. Signs about the wedding feast

The groom's glass. If the bride accidentally drank from the groom's glass, she will completely take his salary.

Glass of the bride. The first glass from which the bride drinks should be broken for good luck.

Breaking dishes. During the feast, it is customary to break the dishes, and the more fragments, the more happiness the young will have.

Wine for the young... For young people at a wedding, wine should not remain in the glasses - it is not wine, but tears remain.

Wine for witnesses... For the house to be a full cup, witnesses need to pour a full cup of wine. And in order for both spouses to use the family capital, they need to drink it at the same time.

Wine for mother-in-law. Groom, don't forget to add your mother-in-law. Good mother-in-law - to good relationship in family.

"Bitterly!" Shout "Bitter!" at a wedding - an ancient custom. In the old days, the bride took a tray with a glass and went to each guest. The guest put money on the tray, took a glass, drank and shouted: "Bitter!" - if the glass contained vodka, and not plain water.

Pull the tablecloth. If an unmarried girlfriend of the bride tugs at the corner of the tablecloth on the wedding table, then she will soon get married.

Children at the wedding. If there are many children at the wedding - to a noisy, fun family life.

Love conspiracy. At the moment when the young are kissing, the following words must be said, then the young will not be broken by any separate slander: “As they look at the crosses at the feast of Christ, so the young people would look at each other - they haven’t seen enough. As Christ loved his Mother of God, so would a husband love his wife, and a wife love her husband. Amen".

Conspiracy from treason. So that the young people loved each other and there was no betrayal in their house, it was necessary to utter special words for bread and salt and let the young people eat this bread at the wedding table. “As people love bread and salt, so would a husband love his wife. Just as salt cannot be replaced with sugar, so a husband cannot cheat on a wife, neither with a dark, nor with a light, nor with a full, nor with a thin, nor with a clever, nor with a stupid, nor with any other slave. As people love bread and salt, so would a husband's wife love. Just as salt cannot be replaced with sugar, so a wife cannot cheat on her husband, neither with the dark, nor with the light, nor with the full, nor with the thin, nor with the clever, nor with the stupid, nor with any other slave. Amen".

Entering the table is correct. Mandatory rule: young people should enter the wedding table only clockwise or in the direction of the sun, and go out in the opposite direction.

Between the young. Make sure that during the entire wedding no one passes between the young, otherwise the marriage will be short-lived.

Places of guests. Guests are seated according to age: in the red corner next to the young are young people, and the further from the red corner, the older and older. The oldest people should sit at the opposite end of the table from the younger ones.

Places of parents. Parents sit down at the end of the festive table.

Places of witnesses and godparents... Next to the bride sits her boyfriend (witness, best man), and next to the groom, his friend (witness, best man) - Following the witnesses sit the godparents of the bride and groom.

Coins in glasses. Coins put in glasses to the bride and groom during the wedding must be kept at home under a tablecloth, then the family will live richly.

Coins in glasses. In order to pour less for the young, copper coins are put in their glass. In addition, they say, copper in the glass of the young - to prosperity in the family.

Wash up . Girlfriends should not wash the dishes, otherwise there should be a quarrel with the newlyweds.

Seats to the right and left of the young... Guests from the young side should sit on the right in relation to him, and the bride's relatives and friends should sit on the left in relation to her (traditionally, the right side of the space symbolizes the masculine principle, the left - the feminine one)

Bypassing the table. When young people from the registry office come to the festive table, a respected or senior member of any of the family should lead the young people around the table three times. According to Slavic traditions, this symbolizes the eternal bond between husband and wife.

Common bench. It is desirable that young people sit not on separate chairs, but on a common bench. If it is impossible to find a bench, then at least put a common blanket on the chairs, and preferably a casing turned inside out.

One spoon. Husband and wife should not eat from one spoon, so as not to be then dissatisfied with each other.

Overturn a glass... The bride knocked over or poured a full glass - the husband will be a drunkard.

Steamed cherry. In order for there to be no quarrels in the family, the bride and groom must eat a pair of cherries or plums.

First dance. Throughout the wedding, young people should only be together, including dancing. Typically, the first dance is performed by the bride and groom in the middle of the circle formed by the guests present.

Dishes for the young... It is desirable that the young have everything the same: two glasses of red (protective, shielding) color, two plates with the same pattern, two silver or gilded spoons and forks, it is better not to put knives at all (less "cutting", ie quarreling between will be themselves).

Empty bottle . An empty bottle on the table goes to empty pockets, and a drunk (lying down) bottle goes to drunk guests.

Veil ritual. Immediately after dividing the loaf (wedding cake), it is customary to perform the following ritual with a veil. The groom's mother approaches the young couple, removes the veil from the bride and ties the attributes of the female share: a kerchief and an apron. A veil is put on the head of a young honorary witness, and she had to wrap herself around herself three times. This ritual symbolizes the passing of the baton of life: it is assumed that the first witness should be the next to marry. After her, the veil is passed to other girls - participants in the wedding. They repeat the ritual. Then the groom's mother takes the veil and hangs it in the red corner under the icon.

But this ritual contradicts other beliefs about the veil, so whether or not it is carried out is decided individually.

Young people sit down at the table... Before the young people sit at the wedding table, make sure that nothing is poured or poured on their chairs or under the chairs and that no one is sitting in their places.

Wedding tablecloth. If three years in a row on the anniversary of the wedding with a wedding tablecloth to cover the table, then the young will live together until old age.

Alcohol for the young. The less alcohol the young people drink during the whole wedding, the calmer their life path will be.

Third toast. The generally accepted rule of festive etiquette is to say the third toast "to love", so it should be remembered that only after the third toast young people can shout: "Bitter!" - and ask them to kiss.

Corner of the table. Sitting on the corner of the table is not getting married for seven years.

Drop food. If one of the guests dropped a piece of food under the table, the young people will always have a lot of treats on the table.

Table shape. The most optimal is the L-shape of the wedding table. In this case, the young should be seated at a corner (but in no case through the corner of the table), and representatives of their clans are seated next to each of them.

Bread slices... When there are a lot of bitten pieces of bread on the table, there will be more guests. Piece treats. If the newlyweds themselves take piece treats, then it is imperative to take two at a time - otherwise they will live apart.

Fur coat. If the young spouses are seated at the table on a shaggy fur coat, their life will be rich and free.

The rosy, lush loaf with which young people are greeted is perhaps one of the main Russian wedding traditions, the same integral attribute of the holiday as, for example, the white dress of the bride. It is noteworthy that, according to some versions, the term "loaf" itself has "wedding" roots: it is believed that it originated from the word "cow" - this is how, oddly enough, in some regions the bride was called.

It is worth noting that the "bread" rituals can be found in the wedding ceremonies of other nations. For example, ritual bread is present in Spanish weddings; after the end of the holiday, pieces of it are distributed to guests. Bread and salt are indispensable elements of a German wedding; however, they are not on the table, but in the bride's pocket, in very small quantities, as symbols of future abundance and wealth. However, perhaps nowhere did the loaf occupy such an important place as at Slavic weddings.

"Pekis, pekis, cheese-loaf ..."

The tradition of making a loaf appeared in pre-Christian Russia; its form personified the Sun, which, according to ancient legend, in the form of round wheat bread, descended to Earth to take a young family under her protection. In addition, a loaf is a symbol of fertility, abundance and wealth (recall, for example, the old proverb about someone else's loaf, which is not worth "opening your mouth" to).

It is no coincidence that the process of preparing such an iconic treat required strict adherence to the established rules. It was attended by the so-called loafers - experienced craftswomen who were well versed in the art of baking. Each mistake could not only spoil the taste of the bread, but also become, to a certain extent, a bleak prediction. So, it was believed that if the dough turns out to be too steep, then the young will have to overcome many difficulties and sharp turns of fate. If, on the contrary, it is liquid, then the loaf can crack in the oven - in the same way a family can crack.

In addition, only married women, necessarily happy in marriage, could be loafers; It was believed that by taking part in baking wedding bread, they convey to the young a piece of their family happiness. Moreover, often these "particles" were not conditional, but quite tangible, because in many regions the loaf was prepared from the products that its creator brought with them.

Before the kneading began, the women had to wash themselves, read a prayer, and only after that they could proceed, without exaggeration, to the sacred rite: one loaf poured flour through a large sieve, another added baking, the third kneaded the dough. Forming bread also required skill. Sometimes the traditional loaf consisted of two parts: viburnum berries, honey and cheese were laid out on the bottom, which were supposed to symbolize life in abundance. In other cases, 3-tiered bread was baked, marking three generations belonging to the same genus. The most elegant part of it was the top, decorated with floral ornaments or figurines of birds; it was cut off first and given to the young.

A friend, a man, a best man from the groom's retinue, had to wash the stove and put the loaf in it, and this also had a special meaning: the stove personified the mother's womb, and the shovel, with which the dough was put, was the masculine principle; the loaf in this case was considered the fruit resulting from their combination. When the bread was in the oven, real fun began in the house: dances were arranged around the bowl (the tub in which the dough for the wedding bread was prepared), the loafers sang ritual songs designed to scare away evil spirits from the bread.

In some areas, the rite of baking a loaf was somewhat different. For example, in Ukraine, specially for the future mother-in-law, bread was prepared in the form of a boot; the groom was supposed to present it to the mother of his chosen one in gratitude for his daughter. The newly-made son-in-law gave the father-in-law bread in the form of a harrow or a bull.

As a rule, a loaf was baked in the bride's house, but sometimes two loaves were prepared at once before the wedding, after which the related families exchanged them. In this case, the parents met the young with one loaf, after which it was divided between two families, and the second was put on the table or carried to the groom's house, where, as a rule, the first wedding night took place. Wedding bread was baked only once - at the first marriage.

"The loaf went on the oak tables ..."

Since the loaf was considered a symbol of family happiness, its presentation was special. As today, parents greeted the young with bread after the wedding; the newly made mother-in-law held the loaf on the embroidered towel. But the custom, widespread at modern weddings, to bite a loaf and determine by the size of the piece who will be the owner of the house, apparently appeared not so long ago.

In the old days, the godparents carried the loaf to the table, it was they who divided it not only among the young, but also among all those gathered, who always took a piece of ritual bread with them. Moreover, the very question of domination in the family could hardly have arisen then: the man was considered the head, the only breadwinner, while the woman is a faithful friend, the keeper of the family hearth.

The most delicious bread

Today, young people, as a rule, prefer to order a loaf for their wedding day in pastry shops, rather than entrusting its preparation to relatives. However, in order for the loaf to become not just traditional bread, but one of the symbols of the wedding celebration, keeping love and warmth, you can bake it yourself, especially since it is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.

The main guarantee of the rich, bright taste of wedding bread is a large number of muffins: butter, milk or cream, eggs. So, for 2 kilograms of flour, you need to take a dozen eggs, 100 grams of butter and 100 milliliters of milk. Dry yeast (20 grams) and a teaspoon of sugar are diluted in milk, which must be slightly warmed. The yolks and whites should be separated, after which the yolks are ground with 8 tablespoons of sugar and mixed with the prepared yeast mass.

Flour, sifting through a sieve for splendor, must be poured in a slide; a recess is made in the center of it, into which a mixture of yolks, milk, yeast and sugar is poured. Egg whites are whipped separately, they are also added to the flour, like salt (about 2 teaspoons), after which the dough is kneaded - not too steep, soft and elastic. Experienced housewives know that the dough should rise at least once, after which it should be kneaded and started to form a loaf.

The dough is divided into two portions of different sizes. From the larger one you need to form a ball, put it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and slightly moisten with water. Make decorations from a smaller part - flowers, leaves, braids and others; they will easily stick to the wet surface of the loaf. The decorations themselves should also be moistened, otherwise they will dry out while the loaf is defusing (this process will take about an hour, the volume of the bread should triple). If not yeast dough, but unleavened dough is used to prepare the jewelry, then you need to attach them to the base half an hour before the end of baking.

There is little to do: all that remains is to bake delicious wedding bread. Its surface is smeared with yolk, after which the loaf is placed on Lower level oven heated to 200 degrees. In order for the bread to bake evenly, after the top is browned, cover it with foil, while reducing the temperature to 170 degrees, at which the bread will be baked for about an hour. In this case, it is important not to open the door, not to take out the bread, but after turning off the oven, let it stand inside for about 20 minutes.

Changes can be made to the basic recipe if desired. For example, bread will have a delicate honey taste if half of the sugar is replaced with honey. It will acquire a special aroma if the dough is mixed with baked milk. You can make a stuffed loaf; in this case, the finished dough should be divided into three parts. The first, the largest, is the base on which the filling will be laid out (berries, fruits, poppy seeds with sugar, jam, and so on); the second part covers the filling, and the third, small, is used to make decorations.

Loaf beauty

The traditional design of the loaf is plant elements: leaves, flowers, ears. Wedding bread (as, indeed, the room in which it was prepared) was necessarily decorated with baked branches of viburnum, which from ancient times was considered a symbol of love. There is an old legend about a girl who fell in love with a blacksmith who did not pay any attention to her. In despair, the beauty decided to burn the forest in which the young man spent all his time, but in the fire she suffered herself, having lost her beauty. Only one plant remained from the once large forest - viburnum, over which the girl shed bitter tears, they gave the sweet berries a bitter taste.

In many wedding songs (for example, in the ritual lamentations of the bride at bachelorette parties), Kalinov Bridge was also mentioned, which personified the transition from a single, free life to a married one, full of both happiness and trials:

Yes, from this baenka to the gorenka
And there are Kalinov's bridges ...

And in the Belarusian tradition, solar (related to the Sun) and lunar (related to the Moon) signs were applied to wedding bread. In addition, paired jewelry was often used - for example, images of a pair of swans, which, as you might guess, symbolized the young, their love and loyalty.

Today, the decoration of the loaf is devoid of its former symbolism; it has rather aesthetic significance. There are some tricks to make your wedding bread really fancy and pretty:

For the preparation of jewelry, it is better to use not yeast dough from which the loaf itself is baked, but shortbread or dumplings - they are more elastic, therefore they are suitable for cutting out original figures of any shape;

Leaves, roses, pigtails and other decorations will turn out to be clearer if you apply them to the base of the loaf not before baking, but half an hour before baking. You can use wooden skewers or egg white to attach them. The exception is the braided braid: it is better to wrap the loaf with it before putting it in the oven so that it does not blur and has a voluminous appearance.

You can highlight decorative elements using natural dyes - turmeric, paprika, beet juice, carrots or spinach, cocoa.

Making wedding loaf jewelry with your own hands is not a complicated process. Here is some of them:

1. Spit. Three strands of dough are used, the length of which should be twice the circumference of the bread. You need to blind them with one end, then braid a braid in the usual way, wrap a loaf with it and secure the end with a skewer.

2. Leaflets. The dough is rolled out thinly, then diamonds are cut out of it, the edges of which are cut with a herringbone. The veins of the "leaves" are drawn with a knife.

3. Roses. From the rolled dough, you need to cut out several circles, and then fold them in a row with a small (about 5 mm) overlap, lightly pressing the junction with your finger. Then a strip of circles must be rolled into a roll and cut in the center - two roses will turn out, it remains only to gently bend the petals of each of them. There is another way to make roses: a circle of dough is wrapped in a tube and wrapped in a second circle, that, in turn, in a third, and so on until a magnificent flower is obtained.

4. Birds. A piece of dough must be rolled out into a small tourniquet, and then tied in a knot, making a wide loop. Flatten one end of the dough (symbolizing the bird's tail) and make several cuts, pull the other end, depicting a beak and decorate it with raisins-"eyes" on both sides.

To be or not to be?

Until recently, almost all weddings were held according to identical scenarios, which necessarily included the ceremony of meeting the young with a loaf. Today, themed holidays are popular, and on many of them the Russian tradition may seem out of place. However, to completely refuse to greet the newlyweds with their parents, from parting words and the first wishes of the new family from the lips of the closest people are probably still wrong. Therefore, there are many options for replacing the first bread in accordance with the theme of the holiday. Let's name just a few of them:

For lovers of delicacies: strawberries with cream.
... For romantics: handmade personalized chocolates.
... For connoisseurs of extreme sports: tequila with salt and lemon.
... For an Italian-style wedding: pizza.

For those young people who do not want to abandon traditions, but at the same time strive to bring some changes to the usual meeting procedure, we can offer to prepare for the holiday a loaf of an unusual shape (for example, in the form of a cornucopia filled with fruits), with original fillings, decorated with glaze, which will symbolize the "sweet life" ...

In a word, fantasy in this matter is limitless. The main thing is to remember that a loaf is not ordinary bread, not a "duty" attribute, but a symbol of warmth, happiness, love and good wishes, which young people first receive as a gift and then generously share with their guests.