Do I need a loaf for a second wedding. Wedding cake and loaf. History and traditions. Where to order a wedding loaf for someone who does not bake

Very diverse, but baking bread in honor of the marriage is an obligatory ritual in many countries. Loaf is not just a product made of sweetish dough, decorated with flowers, berries and leaves, this treat takes pride of place on the wedding table. Once upon a time, it was not easy for people to feed their families. Often there were droughts, wars, as well as other circumstances that taught them to appreciate all foodstuffs, and first of all - bread. It is he who is the great-great-grandfather of the modern wedding cake.

What does the wedding loaf symbolize?

The round shape of this wedding treat was compared with the main heavenly body, which was worshiped by people in Russia, and bread has always been a sign of fertility and rich life. He is the real one that came to us from our distant pagan ancestors. Handing the newlyweds a loaf, they believed that Yarilo, the god of the Sun, was taking a new family under his care.

"Wedding" - this is the name given by our great-great-grandmothers to the loaf, which was baked in honor of the marriage. If someone expressed a desire to marry, but was still too young for this, they could say about him: "His loaf has not yet been baked." People treated wedding bread as a sacred object and believed that it would help young people overcome all hardships. That is why the process of its manufacture is a kind of sacred rite.

Preparing a wedding loaf

Only a married woman who had children and was happily married was trusted to knead the dough for wedding bread, and she sent it to the oven married man. Those who were single or widows were by no means admitted to the sacrament of this ceremony. Loaf has always been baked lush and large. People believed that big wedding bread would bring young people a comfortable and happy life.

Sometimes it got to the point that you had to take out a few bricks to get it out of the oven. When it was necessary to bake a wedding loaf very large sizes, then several women were invited to make it, who read prayers in the process of work. It is believed that such bread has mystical power and special beliefs and traditions are associated with it.

To date, this custom has practically gone out of use and its place has been taken by products ordered from confectioneries. But real craftswomen, relatives of the future newlyweds, will certainly be happy to present the bride and groom with a gift made with their own hands from a pure heart. If you decide to please the young with such pleasant surprise then you will need it.

Wedding loaf: traditions

• Bread prepared for marriage was protected as the apple of an eye. He was necessarily covered with a special towel and not allowed to look at him by strangers.
• During the solemn feast, the loaf should be in the most honorable place
• Before you start dividing the loaf, you need to give gifts to the parents of the young, this should be done by the bride.
• Young people must break off a piece from the top of the wedding bread, whoever gets it more becomes the head of the family.
• The remains of the wedding loaf are broken into pieces or cut with a knife and then distributed to all the guests present. It's better if a child does it.
• In no case should you refuse a loaf, this is a manifestation of disrespect for the newlyweds.
• It is believed that wedding bread decorations will definitely help an unmarried girl to become happy in marriage in the future.
• A piece of loaf received at a wedding could be stored for many years. When a soldier went to war, he was wrapped in a rag and he protected the man from bullets and all sorts of troubles.

Who should meet the young with a loaf

According to tradition, the ritual bread is held by the mother of the groom during the meeting of the newlyweds, after their marriage has been officially registered. Many years ago, after the wedding, the bride had to move to live in her husband's house and the mother-in-law met the young wife of her son with bread and salt. Nowadays, a new family most often moves to separate housing after the wedding, so parents meet them at the entrance to banqueting hall where a festive feast will take place. In addition to the wedding loaf, parents hold the image of the Savior with which they bless the young family.

The groom's mother (mother-in-law), according to an old custom, says parting words to the bride and groom. They can be both in verse and in prose, for example:

Dear children! The day of your marriage is a sunny moment in your life. We sincerely wish you to be happy together. And as a sign of parental blessing, accept this loaf. It serves as a symbol of love and prosperity, and the salt on it is a warning that not everything is sweet in family life. To overcome all the difficulties on your way, treat yourself to a loaf, let the warmth that he keeps in himself forever remain in your hearts. May your home always be comfortable, filled with love, prosperity, children's laughter and good friends. Advice to you, yes love!

Usually, the speech is prepared in advance, but the memorized text is often forgotten due to excitement and joy. No need to get lost and upset about it. After all, maternal words spoken for children over a wedding loaf, coming from the heart and soul, will become for the young the most best wishes and parental blessings.

After the young people have tasted the wedding bread, received congratulations and instructions from their parents, they invite the guests who came to their celebration to the festive table. It is worth remembering that the salt that was brought along with the loaf should be poured into a small cloth bag and hidden behind the icon with which the parents blessed the young. And decorate the icon with a towel on which the wedding bread stood. This amulet will protect family members from various misfortunes.

A wedding is a solemn and very important event for a young family. Everything that happens on this day has its symbolic and historical meaning. Modern life offers a lot of creative scenarios for this holiday of two hearts, but there are customs that you should still know, honor and observe. This is our cultural heritage. This is the connection of centuries, generations. Traditions exist for that, that their necessity has been tested for centuries. So, caravan!

Since ancient times, our mother Russia has been famous for its hospitality. Bread has always been the main thing on the table in the house. No wonder it has so much to do with it. folk proverbs and sayings. The work of a grain grower has always been considered one of the most difficult and important. Throwing away bread is considered a great sin. And on the day of painting or wedding, the loaf in Russia has always been treated with great honor and respect, and not for show. It contains the power of love, land, health, fertility, fidelity, wealth.

The ceremony of baking a wedding loaf

Baking a loaf was considered in the old days a responsible event, for which it was also necessary to prepare. There was a whole ritual.

Water for the test was brought from seven wells.

Flour - from seven bags, only wheat.

The dough was kneaded in the groom's house, under the supervision of the godmother.

There must be an odd number of participants in the process.

Childless, unmarried, divorced women, widows were not allowed to take the test.

The sacrament took place without the participation of the bride.

Those present were to wear pectoral crosses.

The dough was kneaded by a happily married woman who gave birth to healthy children.

The rest took turns reading prayers.

The loaf was baked in the shape of the sun, a talisman for a young family.

In the middle, a recess for the salt shaker was baked.

A married man put ceremonial bread into the oven, also reading a prayer.

For decoration, they made pigtails from dough, supplementing with clusters of viburnum.

Before the wedding, other people were strictly forbidden to see the loaf.

One person made sure that no one saw him.

Loaf signs

The more magnificent the loaf was baked, the more prosperous the life of the young was predicted.

If the loaf bursts - a bad omen.

Burnt - grumpy husband.

From the remaining dough, small cones and birds were baked, adding coins for wealth.

During the planting of the loaf in the oven, single guys jumped three times, and unmarried girls rolled out a tub into the street and threw a shovel onto the roof. This was done for love, so that they would soon find their soul mate.

Only godparents can cut the loaf.

Not trying a loaf at a wedding is the same as not being invited.

For those who could not come to the wedding feast, a piece was sure to be sent home.

Sometimes the pieces were dried as an amulet for good luck, as a talisman against the evil eye.

Dried pieces of wedding bread were given to children for good luck on the road.

Towel for a wedding loaf

A towel is a long towel on which the mother of the groom holds a loaf when meeting the newlyweds. This detail wedding ceremony just like the loaf is very important. Any towel will not work for this. Every little thing matters here.

The greatest success will be the towel received from the ancestors, who had a smooth, happy family life. (only from relatives, this is very important)

In Russia, the bride herself embroidered towels for her wedding, long before her.

You can’t embroider a nightingale and a cuckoo, these are symbols of single guys and girls.

Birds embroidered in different directions - to divorce.

In the middle of the embroidery should not be, this is "God's place".

The embroidered words "Bread and salt" symbolize wealth and harmony.

The towel should be from one piece of fabric, the sewn parts of the towel - to the imminent death of one of the young spouses.

If there is a symbolic meaning of young people on the towel, a pair of rings or a pair of roosters, etc., then there should not be horizontal embroidery above them, it will separate the pair from the pure white middle, which personifies the Divine principle.

Embroidered wedding rings should not be closed.

Threads for embroidery should be natural, artificial thread - and artificial life.

You need to start embroidering on Thursday, after reading a prayer.

You need to finish the work with the same needles that you started. Changing a needle is a bad sign. Needles bought on Monday will bring good luck. They should be exactly according to the colors of the threads for embroidery.

When embroidering, you can not sit with your back to the window.

After the wedding, the towel is kept at home, you cannot rent towels.

It would be nice to spread the towel on the grass on a full moon under bright stars, and then dry it in the sun. It is believed that the stars will transmit their brightness. The moon represents fertility. The sun will give light and wealth.

Then wedding towel twisted into a tube, and stored in this form. According to signs, various evil spirits and troubles will only go in circles, but they will not poke inside the family.

Today, with our hectic life, hardly any of the brides personally embroider a towel for a wedding. But by buying ready product, or ordering it, you can pay attention to the integrity of the canvas, ornament, thread. If you think about it, after all, every detail is important in marriage. Big - it, as you know, consists of little things.

Wedding loaf decor

Usually in Russia they were not wiser for long with decorations on a loaf, the main thing was the ceremonial bread itself. Decorated with flowers or dough braids, added clusters of red viburnum. Kalina has always been considered a symbol of love, fertility. And yet, each drawing has its own symbolic meaning, because later, when dividing the loaf, all its decorations were given to young unmarried girls for good luck in search of a betrothed. So decorations!

Spikelets of wheat, just like other plants or herbs - a symbol of the earth, warmth, fertility. Wishing young healthy children.

The swans, depicted as a couple, are a symbol of fidelity.

Grapes - prosperity in the house of a young couple.

Grapevine - strengthening marriage ties, procreation.

A scythe means a girl's readiness to become a wife.

The rose symbolizes feminine beauty.

Kalina - main character love, union, beauty and happiness.

In the old days, the decorations on the loaf coincided with the decorations on the towel. It is great if the decorations are molded from the same fertile dough as the loaf itself, but this is rare today. Only experienced bakers know how to make it beautiful and tasty. The splendor, grandeur, monumentality of decorations on the wedding loaf speaks of the great desire of parents and godparents to wish their children material prosperity.

Salt on the wedding loaf

Salt is a special, revered seasoning in Russia. Once upon a time, salt was worth a lot of money, only rich people could afford it, and it symbolized prosperity, a successful life. Salt has unique properties, it not only adds flavor to insipid food, it also has antiseptic and preservative properties. Over time, salt acquired more and more magical significance. It was considered a universal remedy for all evil spirits, from evil spirits.

There was even a "salt oath" and a "salt contract", which meant an oath of allegiance. The joint eating of food seasoned with salt meant an unbreakable bond of fidelity between people. According to an old belief, if a person ate salt with someone, then he bound himself with him forever. The ancient Jews called their most sacred obligations the “covenant of salt.” Salt is a symbol of friendship, fidelity, love.

There are many signs associated with salt, including at a wedding. So salt!

It is believed that those who have tasted bread and salt cannot be enemies, therefore the bride and groom themselves should generously sprinkle their pieces of bread with salt, and those whom they will treat also did not forget about salt.

Spilling salt is a quarrel, so if it is decided to break the wedding loaf, then the salt shaker should be removed in advance.

In order for the husband's love to be eternal, the bride needs to slander the salt "As people love salt, so the husband would love his wife."

The salt left from the wedding loaf should be poured into a bag and stored as a talisman. In difficult moments of life, a pinch of wedding salt will definitely help.

In the old days, this salt was placed in the cradle to protect the child from any adversity.

Salt cannot be bought on Monday and Saturday, these days there is a risk of quarrels for a long time.

After the loaf has been salted, you need to tightly close the salt shaker and remove it from prying eyes. Salt quickly absorbs other people's thoughts.

Salt is very important necessary thing in the House. You need to treat her with great respect, and then the house will always have an atmosphere of warmth, love and harmony.

Handing a loaf to young people

Handing the loaf means the end wedding ceremony. Now youth and carelessness are left behind. After the wedding or painting, before the start of the wedding feast, the parents greet the young with bread and salt. It is also important to follow some rules here.

The loaf is presented by the mother of the groom.

The newlyweds must first thank their parents for the loaf.

In the old days, the loaf was kissed three times.

Young people try the loaf before entering the banquet hall.

The newlyweds try the loaf in different ways. Some bite from a whole loaf, while it is believed that whoever bites off more will be the master in the house. Others break the loaf (it is important not to forget about the salt shaker), there is a belief that whoever breaks off the most is more greedy. But now more and more young people simply break off a piece and taste it.

The godparents should share the loaf.

The top of the loaf is laid for young people, the middle for guests, the bottom for musicians, and decorations for unmarried girls.

The loaf is baked only once, at the first marriage.

Whether to observe traditions, whether to believe in signs and superstitions, everyone decides for himself. But Mother Russia is so rich in its beautiful customs. Today, many rituals have not been observed for a long time, the wonderful traditions of Russian folk wedding. And at the same time, there are more and more people who want to revive the wedding heritage of Russia.

3. Signs about the wedding feast

Groom's glass. If the bride accidentally drank from the groom's glass, she will take his salary in full.

Glass of the bride. The first glass the bride drinks from 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 glasses - this is not wine, but tears remain.

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

Wine for mother-in-law. Groom, don't forget to top up your mother-in-law. Good mother-in-law good relations in family.

"Bitterly!" Shout "Bitter!" at the wedding - an ancient custom. In the old days, the bride took a tray with a cup and approached each guest. The guest put money on a tray, took a glass, drank it and shouted: “Bitter!” - if there was vodka in the glass, and not plain water.

Pull on the tablecloth. If an unmarried bridesmaid pulls around the corner of the tablecloth on the wedding table, then she will soon get married.

Children at the wedding. If there are a lot of children at the wedding - to a noisy, cheerful family life.

Love conspiracy. At the moment when the young people kiss, the following words must be said, then the young people will not be broken by any parting slander: “How they look at crosses when Feast of Christ, so the young 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 would love her husband. Amen".

Conspiracy against change. In order for the young to love each other and there were no betrayals in their house, it was necessary to say 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 a husband would love his wife. Just as salt cannot be replaced by sugar, so a husband cannot be changed by his wife either with a dark one, or with a light one, or with a full one, or with a thin one, or with a smart one, or with a stupid one, or with any other slave. As people love bread and salt, so would a wife love her husband. Just as salt cannot be replaced by sugar, so a wife cannot be changed by her husband either with a dark one, or with a light one, or with a full one, or with a thin one, or with a smart one, or with a stupid one, or with any other slave. Amen".

Enter the table correctly. Mandatory rule: young people should enter the wedding table only in a clockwise direction or in the direction of the sun, and leave in the opposite direction.

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

Guest places. Guests are seated according to age: in the red corner next to the young - young people, and the farther from the red corner, the older and older. The oldest people should sit at the opposite end of the table from the youngest.

Parents' places. Parents sit down at the end of the festive table.

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

Coins in glasses. Coins put into the glasses of the bride and groom during the wedding should be kept at home under the tablecloth, then the family will live richly.

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

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

Seats to the right and left of the young. Guests from the side of the young man should sit to his right, and relatives and friends of the bride should sit to her left (traditionally, the right part of the space symbolizes masculinity, left - female)

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

General bench. It is desirable that young people also sit not on separate chairs, but on a common bench. If it is impossible to find a bench, then at least put a common cover on the chairs, or rather a casing turned inside out.

One spoon. Husband and wife should not eat from the same spoon, so as not to be dissatisfied with each other later.

knock over a glass. The bride knocked over or spilled a full glass - her husband will be a drunkard.

Paired cherry. In order to avoid quarrels in the family, the bride and groom should eat a pair of cherries or plums.

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

Tableware for the young. It is desirable that everything be the same for young people: 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”, i.e. quarreling between will be themselves).

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

Veil ritual. Immediately after dividing the loaf (wedding cake), it is customary to do the following ritual with a veil. The mother of the groom approaches the young, removes the veil from the bride and ties the attributes of the female share: a scarf and an apron. A veil is put on the head of an honorary young 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 it is the first witness of the next who should marry. After her, the veil is transferred 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 is contrary to other beliefs about the veil, so whether or not to conduct it is decided individually.

Young people sit at the table. Before the young people sit at the wedding table, check that nothing has been poured or poured on their chairs or under the chairs and that no one has sat in their places.

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

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

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

Table corner. Sitting on the corner of the table - not getting married for seven years.

Drop food. If one of the guests dropped a piece of food under the table, the table of the young will always be full of treats.

Table shape. The most optimal is the L-shaped form wedding table. At the same time, young people should be seated on a corner (but in no case through the corner of the table), and next to each of them, representatives of their clans are seated.

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

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

Not long but important point on the solemn day of marriage is meeting with a caravan for a wedding, after the newlyweds return from the registry office. Some don't know who holds the loaf at the wedding, where to buy a loaf for a wedding in Moscow. All information about wedding loaf, traditions you can find out related to it by reading this article.

Who should hold the loaf at the wedding?

Let's start by deciding who holds the loaf at the wedding? According to tradition, the wedding loaf is held by the groom's mother at the meeting of the newlyweds after official registration. This tradition has been going on for a long time, before, after the wedding, the bride moved to the groom's house for permanent residence, and it was customary to meet the young wife with a loaf, or, as they say, with bread and salt.

Now, newlyweds are increasingly moving into separate housing (own or rented) after registration, and therefore meeting with a loaf for a wedding at the groom's house has already lost its relevance. However, you can meet young people with a loaf at the entrance to the restaurant (banquet hall).

wedding bread

Wedding bread is an unusual pastry and is unlikely to be found in an ordinary supermarket or bread kiosk. And it is not surprising that the question arises of where to buy a loaf for a wedding in Moscow (or in some other city). It can be ordered in private bakeries or bakeries, as well as bought in specialized stores. Those who have already had a wedding recently can advise where to buy a wedding loaf in your city, or you can find places where you can buy a wedding loaf using the Internet search.

Alternatively, you can not buy a wedding loaf, but bake it yourself. But it is not so easy and it is baked in a special way. Previously, in Russia, loaves for a wedding were prepared by observing some rituals and reading the prayers “Theotokos” and “Our Father” over it. Kneading the dough is sure to be happy married woman with children, and a married man put in the oven. Traditionally, wedding loaves are decorated with dough patterns in the form of viburnum sprigs. Viburnum for decoration was chosen for a reason, before it was considered a symbol of love and special mystical properties. By the way, according to tradition, the wedding loaf should be large in size. It was believed that the more he is, the richer, happier and better he will be. married life young.

The groom's parents usually prepare a meeting with the loaf for the wedding in advance. A towel (a special embroidered towel) can be bought in advance and you should also order a wedding loaf in advance, you need to pick it up either directly on the day of registration or the day before it, it is not advisable to pick it up earlier, as it can dry out. It is important not to forget about the salt shaker, into which salt will be poured and which will need to be placed at the top of the loaf.

With the one who holds the loaf at the wedding, we figured it out, this is the mother of the groom. And his father should stand nearby and hold the icon. Although some do the opposite. The tradition with a wedding loaf symbolizes.

Features of the tradition "wedding loaf"

In the “wedding loaf” tradition, the newlyweds are also offered to bite off a piece, and it is believed that the one who bites off a larger piece will be the master in the house. Sometimes, in order not to look unaesthetic or not to spoil the makeup, the newlyweds do not bite, but break the loaf. But here it can already turn out a little dishonest, because usually the strong half has more hands.

As for the traditions with the wedding loaf, it is impossible not to talk about a few more traditions and signs, which one to believe and what to adhere to is everyone's business. It used to be believed in pagan times, but now it is only a symbolism in order to make this solemn day special.

So, for example, one of the signs says that after the bride and groom have bitten off a piece of wedding bread, it must be wrapped and taken to the church after the wedding, and left there on the donation table. It was believed that if you do this, then in the new family there will always be peace and harmony.

And according to another tradition, the newlyweds should break the wedding loaf in half and quickly go to treat the guests to them, each with their own half, and the one who distributes his half faster will be the breadwinner in the young family.

In general, there are many different interesting wedding traditions. You can learn about them and much more on our website for newlyweds, those who plan to become them or have been for a long time. You can read articles about that, as well as see and much more!

Instruction

As for the fact that the tradition of the wedding loaf is primordially Russian, many are ready to argue, since there are also references to the loaf in the culture of other states. Similar traditions took place in Europe, and even in ancient China. Baking had various forms, rituals associated with wedding bread were also very diverse. IN Ancient Rome, for example, bread cakes were thrown at the bride. Then the rituals were simplified, changed and acquired a folk flavor, nevertheless, remaining in history. different peoples. The same Europeans, for example, moved from bread to wonderful wedding cakes.

No matter how different they are wedding traditions, all of them are united by one thing - symbolism and a special ritual. The wedding loaf, as everyone knows it now, originates in Slavic communities. Of course, the rite, which has come down to our days, has been greatly simplified. A loaf is ordered at a bakery, then the newlyweds break off a piece of it to determine who is in charge in the family. Some even fanatically eat the contents of the salt shaker in order to live the rest of their lives without worries and sorrows.

However, our ancestors acted quite differently. Everything related to bread and salt had its own meaning. The very shape of the loaf, of course, symbolizes the sun, the quintessence of life. The bigger and more magnificent the loaf, the happier and richer life will be. new family. Bread was baked by the whole world - they took a handful of flour from seven housewives, drew water from seven different wells. Spelled it's living in happy marriage so that she “charges” the loaf with positive energy and at the same time shares her experience with the future hostess.

The loaf girl carefully kneaded the dough, shaped it and spoke it like a talisman. Bread was traditionally baked in the groom's house. A man, my friend, had to put it in the oven. This was supposed to promise the young a numerous and strong offspring. To ward off evil spirits from the loaf, the married lady and the friend of the groom were not called by name. The loaf turned out big and magnificent. They say that in order to get such bread out of the oven, it was necessary to disassemble it.

They began to decorate the loaf later, but each decoration had its own meaning. Thus, the young were wished love, prosperity, many children, health, etc. Depending on how wealthy the families of the bride and groom were, small coins could be baked into the loaf. A man also helped to bring the loaf to the table. The breaking of bread symbolized that the bride now completely belongs to her husband, and the first piece eaten - the birth of a new life in her. Then each guest was dressed with a piece of loaf. According to tradition, they took it with them and divided it among all household members. This promised everyone who tasted the wedding bread, health and good luck. This beautiful custom has almost faded from memory, turning into a formal ceremony, the meaning of which few people understand. But, I would like to believe that even now, the loaf, round like the sun, illuminates the newlyweds with a steeply salted path to love and harmony.