“Love doesn’t just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” (Ursula K. LeGuin)
After attending a beautiful wedding recently at which there was bread instead of a cake, the above quote came to mind. This wedding adhered to Ukrainian tradition. As you can see from the above collage, the “Korovai” is prominently displayed. According to the wedding program, “the Korovai is an intricately woven traditional Ukrainian wedding bread that represents the divine gift of life and prosperity from nature and the gift of love and support for the newly-married couple.”
Bread has been referred to as the staff of life and, indeed, is a necessity for daily sustenance world-wide. Whether it’s pita, nan, challah, tortilla, or called by any other name, it is that person’s “daily bread.”
The symbolism behind the Korovai and what it represents is very significant. Newly married couples, along with all the rest of humankind, need the bounty of the earth and the love and support of others throughout a lifetime.
May this couple have the blessing of daily bread and the love and support of family and friends always. May their love be fresh and new every day!
Here’s to the Korovai and to tradition!
