giant bread loaves as wedding gifts

karen · Post by **karen** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:09 pm

I attended a wedding a few years ago where the bride and groom received a very large loaf of bread as a gift. I was told at the time that it wasn't uncommon, but none of my foreigner friends are familiar with it. Are any of you familiar with this custom and how it began or why it exists? Where are the loaves purchased?

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Mölkky-Fan · Post by **Mölkky-Fan** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:56 pm

I went to a Polish wedding many years ago in London, and bread was given then as a gift. I understood it was a symbol for future prosperity, but not sure on this... I have never seen it at the few Finnish weddings I have attended... maybe a bread maker would be a simple modern day equivalent?

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:21 pm

Isn't the bread (prosperity?) and salt (flavour / spice of life) thing more a new home gift?

http://www.vantaanlauri.fi/arkisto/2001 ... tkikolumni

maxxfi · Post by **maxxfi** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:41 pm

Mölkky-Fan wrote:maybe a bread maker would be a simple modern day equivalent?

It sounds much more Finnish style: "You want prosperity? Earn it, and make it yourself!"

magenta22 · Post by **magenta22** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:07 pm

Handy if they got peckish during the night

Mölkky-Fan · Post by **Mölkky-Fan** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:59 am

The wife asking for a French Stick on her wedding night might lead to a quick end to the marriage! On the other hand her asking for a quick roll or a couple of baps might perk up the husband's interest

Cloudberry · Post by **Cloudberry** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:28 pm

sinikala wrote:Isn't the bread (prosperity?) and salt (flavour / spice of life) thing more a new home gift?

http://www.vantaanlauri.fi/arkisto/2001 ... tkikolumni

I always wondered if that was a Finnish custom since it was a common thing to take a loaf of crusty bread and packet of salt to the home of any relative that moved house. I wonder how far that tradition dates back and if it is a christian tradition? I thought the bread was a metaphor for shall your crops (and finances) prosper and the salt was for shall your (salted and preserved) meat be plentiful. Just love these old traditions

Cloudberry · Post by **Cloudberry** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:35 pm

karen wrote:I attended a wedding a few years ago where the bride and groom received a very large loaf of bread as a gift. I was told at the time that it wasn't uncommon, but none of my foreigner friends are familiar with it. Are any of you familiar with this custom and how it began or why it exists? Where are the loaves purchased?

I'm assuming you were referring to a wedding in Finland? I watched this fascinating documentary/home movie last Sunday (Kalevala Day) of a Karelian wedding where a large loaf of rye bread played a central role in the wedding ceremony. Throughout the ceremony various people (priest, family members and others) would pick up the bread and bless the couple by gently tapping it on their heads numerous times. It was a silent movie so one was left to decipher their own meaning from it but I guessed it was something about happiness and prosperity towards their marriage. Here's a link http://www.kalevalaseura.fi/kaku/sivu.p ... 1a5&f=fp1s

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:15 pm

Uuuhhhh... two hours of a traditional wedding. Thats masochism

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:19 pm

Well.. umm... I've never *seen* one used, but if you go to any store with a decent bread section you can find a hugh jazz rye bread "Häälimppu" usually halved or quartered (never seen anyone buy a whole one)

Bavarian · Post by **Bavarian** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:38 am

Pursuivant wrote:Uuuhhhh... two hours of a traditional wedding. Thats masochism

It depends on how much they drank afterwards.

RA · Post by RA » Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:59 am

Karen, we once purchased a 5 kg loaf of rye bread for a colleague from work. Just visited one of the local bakeries well in advance and they made it. Perhaps if you visited one of the bakeries in a kauppahalli?

georgepeen · Post by **georgepeen** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:34 pm

Food is a common gift for weddings too here in my country as a sign of prosperity for the newlyweds. I wonder if there is any specific flavor, color or size for Finnish to make it more meaningful though.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:26 pm

Someones done a shortened version of thet traditiona Karelian wedding.

"banging a huge loaf on the brides head to make her submissive" at 04:45 or so
before that a lot of "breakdancing"... someone needs to rip this off with some better music

cocoasensations · Post by **cocoasensations** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:55 pm

wow!!giant loaves which serves as the gift of the wedding...actually this is my first time I've heard this one. It sounds funny, but maybe there is a hidden truth behind those loaves that might reflects the life of a couple. Thank you.

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