Many foreigners arriving in Russia encounter a custom strange to them: they are greeted with bread and salt. However, this gesture is actually an ancient Russian tradition of welcoming important guests. Let’s take a look at the meaning behind this ritual.
In Russia, dear guests are traditionally greeted with bread and salt. The guest should break off a piece of bread, dip it in salt and eat it. The custom of welcoming guests with bread and salt has been known in Russia since ancient times. The combination of bread and salt plays the role of a very capacious symbol: bread expresses a wish for wealth and prosperity, and salt is believed to protect a person from evil spirits and hostile influences. By treating a guest with bread and salt, the hosts sought to establish a relationship of love and trust with the guest, and refusal to taste bread and salt was considered an insult.
The word “khlebosolstvo / hospitality” (a combination of bread/bread and salt/salt) still means hospitality, i.e. hospitality, i.e. hospitality and generosity shown when treating a guest. In the XVI century Russian sovereigns had a custom of giving bread and salt from their table to guests: bread was to express favor, and salt – love.
The expression “bread and salt” was considered a generalized name for food and treats. And if you were called for bread and salt, it meant an invitation to a feast. An old Russian way of saying “Bon appetité! / Enjoy your meal!” sounded like “Bread da salt! / Bread and salt!” It was believed that this phrase had a special meaning and had the power to ward off evil spirits and evil in general.
Traditions related to offering bread and salt to dear guests are not so common today. But still there are cases when this ritual is considered obligatory. Most often it can be seen at traditional Russian weddings, when parents of newlyweds after the main ceremony meet their children with bread and salt: husband and wife should break off a piece of bread, dip it in salt and feed each other. This is a sign that they are ready to share any difficulties in life and promise to always take care of each other.
At a wedding, not just bread is served, but a loaf – round bread with traditional decorations made of the same dough as the loaf itself. Spikes signify wealth, swans signify fidelity, and plaits signify fertility. The loaf is served to the newlyweds on a rushnik (embroidered decorative towel), and in the center of the loaf is placed a salt cellar with salt.
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Bread and salt as foodstuffs were important for Russian people. A meal without bread was considered incomplete, a combination of bread and milk, for example, was already enough to eat. Salt in Russia was a difficult and expensive product, it was valued and cherished. The value of bread and salt was reflected in the language, in proverbs and sayings:
Now, if you are greeted with bread and salt, you will know that you are treated as a very dear guest and it is necessary to share the treat with the hosts, expressing your respect in this way.
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