Bread and Salt

A Traditional Greeting - Bread and Salt.

Each Christmas and Easter I host parties that provide the guests with a
chance to sample Czech cuisine and learn about Czech culture - both current
and historical. One of the customs we carry out is the old greeting of bread
and salt.

Once you have your coat off, you are greeted with the traditional offering of bread and salt - an old Czech sign of welcome and hospitality. You take a pinch of salt from the open container and sprinkle it onto the slice of bread before eating it.

The presentation of bread and salt was also a traditional folk custom in western Russia. As a sign of hospitality, when the czar or his wife visited
their towns, merchants and gentry would present a loaf of bread placed on a
round dish covered with an embroidered towel. A cellar of salt was placed on
top of the bread or set in a hole cut into the top of the bread.

The ceremony also was used prior to the marriage of a Russian landowner when he traveled to each village on his estate, introducing his new bride to the
peasants. The ceremony symbolized that the couple would never be without the necessities of life.

The tradition still is practiced, both in Russia (occasionally at weddings) and by descendants of Russians living in other countries (bread and salt is brought to a family member or friend when they move into a new home). It is interesting to note that upon his return to Russia on May 27, 1994, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was greeted with the traditional bread and salt.

Do you have more information on this tradition?  The above information is a compilation of material. Accreditation will be given to those who provide specific information.  Contact Petr Chudoba  All Rights Reserved. Copyright (c) 2002 by Petr Chudoba. 
 

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