Ethnic Weddings | Sofreh Aghd

Because we really do love all weddings, we have been doing a mini-series of weddings from other traditions, cultures, and countries besides our own in America.  These wedding traditions are steeped in history and meaning, and are now made just as personalized as weddings here in the U.S.  The first ethnic wedding we looked at was an Indian wedding which took place in Chicago.

Our post today is about the tradition of the sofreh aghd in Persian wedding ceremonies.  During the ceremony, a spread, or "sofreh,"  which means "spread" is prepared for the bride and groom.  Traditionally, the preparation of the sofreh is taken very seriously because it represents the couple's life and marriage. The spread is typically set on the floor facing east, so that the couple is facing the light.  A traditionally cloth is usually used, but modern day sofrehs tend to be made of silk and are sometimes decorated with lace.  Each element on the table symbolizes something for the couple - such as a basket of eggs to symbolize fertility and a bowl made of out sugar to sweeten life for the newly weds.

Here's a few examples we found of beautiful sofrehs:

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