Salt CovenantDuring ancient times, agreements and promises were sealed by a salt covenant. Each person would take a pinch of salt from their pouch and place it in the pouch of the other. This agreement could not be broken unless an individual could retrieve their own grains of salt.
Salt CeremoniesA salt covenant refers to the act of combining individual grains of salt into one vessel during the wedding ceremony. This procedure has its roots in the Old Testament of the Bible. Salt figures so prominently in this tradition because mankind has long considered salt to be a pure substance and representative of good luck. While there are no hard and fast rules for performing a salt covenant at a wedding ceremony, the traditional custom has a basic format. The Salt Covenant Ceremony is a perfect highlight in a Vow Renewal Ceremony or during an anniversary celebration.
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Your marriage ceremony can be regarded as a kind of “securing of a covenant”—in fact, a marriage is referred to as a covenant, in religious lingo, that is. Salt was sometimes used in Irish wedding ceremonies, so if you plan to use an Irish theme, you might consider a salt ceremony.
Salt has other significance. Salt is a preservative—and so we might think of a salt ceremony as suggestive of a long-lasting marriage. It melts ice—it is hoped that your relationship will not get “frosty.” Salt adds flavour, zest to food. May your marriage not become dull, or flavourless.
The bride and groom each carry a container of pure salt to a larger receptacle. The two pour their salt into the receptacle, symbolizing their two lives being intertwined and inseparable, just as the salt is mixed together so that no one can separate the bride's grains of salt from those of the groom. For this reason, salt for the salt ceremony should not be coloured or dyed.
Salt has other significance. Salt is a preservative—and so we might think of a salt ceremony as suggestive of a long-lasting marriage. It melts ice—it is hoped that your relationship will not get “frosty.” Salt adds flavour, zest to food. May your marriage not become dull, or flavourless.
The bride and groom each carry a container of pure salt to a larger receptacle. The two pour their salt into the receptacle, symbolizing their two lives being intertwined and inseparable, just as the salt is mixed together so that no one can separate the bride's grains of salt from those of the groom. For this reason, salt for the salt ceremony should not be coloured or dyed.
Indian Salt Ceremony
Indian weddings often include a Salt Ceremony, where the bride passes a handful of salt to her groom without spilling any. He then passes it back to her and the exchange is repeated three times.
She then performs the salt exchange with all the members of the groom's family, symbolising her blending in with her new family.
She then performs the salt exchange with all the members of the groom's family, symbolising her blending in with her new family.
