Persian Wedding Spread (Sofreh Aghd)

So after picking my mom and Step-dad up from the airport, I forced my family into a little of the purification of Chaharshanbe Suri, even if we had to settle for stepping over a candle on the cramped patio in front of my condo. With as much going on and needs to be done for this wedding Saturday, we can use all the good luck and purification we can muster!

So a little about the Sofreh Aghd used in a Persian wedding ceremony. The main part of the ceremony takes place in front of a table set up with many symbolic items, similar to the haft seen table set up for Persian New Year, as I mentioned in my previous post.  Here are the items and what they represent:

Coins - for prosperity

Fresh flowers - to bring beauty

Fresh fruit - for a joyous future

Rosewater - to perfume the air

Flatbread - Persian Sangak bread, for prosperous feasts together in the future

Wild rue - an incense or herb that can be burned for purification

Needle & Thread - to represent two families becoming one and joining together 

7 Spices -  An assortment of herbs and spices are placed on the spread to guard against the evil eye -  poppy seeds “khash-khaash”, wild rice “berenj”, angelica “sabzi khoshk”, salt “namak”, nigella seeds “raziyaneh”, black tea “chai” + frankincense “kondor”.

Holy book or poetry book - can be from whatever faith or philosophy that is special to the couple.  I think for us we'll stick with poetry books from Rumi & Hafez.

Decorated eggs & nuts - what else, but fertility? :)

Sweets & treats  - to add sweetness to life, and for the guests after the ceremony

Now here are the items that need a little more explanation, since they play a part in the ceremony.

Mirror & Candlesticks - these items bring reflection, brightness, passion & energy.  Traditionally, these were gifts the groom would give to the bride, and they would be the first items the couple would bring into their new home together as newly weds - to reflect back all the love and happiness they received from everyone at the wedding ceremony and carry that in their lives together going forward. As part of the ceremony, the first look the groom will have of the bride will be in this mirror, when she joins him at the table and removes her veil.

Sugar Cones & Cloth - a key part of the ceremony, the bride's family or bridesmaids hold a cloth over the heads of the couple as they are seated at the table, and all the happily married women at the wedding come up and grind the sugar cones over the cloth, to add sweetness to the lives of the new couple.  After, the host or officiant asks the groom if he accepts the bride, and he says yes.  But when the bride is asked, she is silent!  A family member or friend will reply something funny, like "she's out picking flowers!"  This is repeated a second time, and then finally, on the third try, the bride comes to her senses and says yes.

Honey - finally, at the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom feed each other honey off each others' pinky finger, for a sweet union.

So that's basically it.  I will post pictures of everything after the wedding, but for now, you can see some examples on my Pinterest board.

Great example on Family Spice blog