Wedding traditions with sweets, sugar and honey

Sweet things are given at weddings because they promise a sweet life. Sugar, honey, dates, nuts and syrup are handed to the couple, thrown, sent as a box or eaten from a shared dish. Sweets are also the thing most often sent home with guests.

Sugar and honey

In Iran a sugar cone is rubbed over the couple's heads to sweeten the marriage, and the sofreh aghd has honey, sugar and sweets that the bride and groom feed each other. In India a box of mithai is exchanged when the match is agreed. In Greece the bride may put a sugar cube in her glove, and the koufeta, sugared almonds, are given to guests. In Italy the confetti are sugared almonds in odd numbers, usually five, for health, wealth, happiness, long life and fertility.

Sweet gifts

In Morocco and Egypt guests are welcomed with dates and milk and trays of pastries. In Turkey and the Arab world baklava and other sweets are sent to relatives, and in Lebanon a candy table is set. In Chinese weddings, sweet lotus seeds and dates stand for children, and in Korea candy and dates are given.