The Traditional Ukrainian Bread That Plays A Starring Role At Weddings

Around the world, weddings are synonymous with ceremonial foods, from Mexican wedding cookies to Italian wedding soup and even Christian-culture white-frosted wedding cakes. Today, we're talking about one especially symbolic Ukrainian dessert steeped in national tradition, dating back to at least the 11th century C.E. If you've ever attended a Ukrainian wedding, then you will have beheld the wonder and importance of the korovai. If not, we're here to explore what makes this bread so meaningful.

A korovai is an elaborately decorated sweet bread loaf that serves as the centerpiece of the wedding ceremony – like a wedding cake but with greater spiritual import. Made from unleavened dough and egg white meringue, it can have anywhere from one to five towering tiers, and even the baking process of the korovai is ritualistic.

Tradition dictates that on the Friday or Saturday before the wedding, seven women gather in the home of the bride or the groom to knead the korovai dough while singing traditional folk songs about marriage. Only women who consider themselves happily married and have never been divorced are supposed to attend this event, as their own marital good-tidings are thought to be passed to the couple through the bread. Some interpretations even dictate that the bakers are married with children. Then, the bread is placed into the oven by a man who is also self-described as happily married, and the baking party prays for the joy of the soon-to-be-wedded couple while the bread bakes. It's a process that takes hours of focus and attention to detail, and it's taken very seriously. 

The signature of any korovai is its ornate decorations. The involved baking process itself symbolizes the community's collective support of the new couple's life together. The circular shape of the loaf represents the sun, which is an important symbol in Slavic culture. The exterior is adorned with highly detailed shapes including wheat to symbolize prosperity, roses for beauty, pine cones for fertility, grapes for wealth, and braids for the union of the two families. The most common topper for the loaf is two birds shaped from dough, symbolizing the couple.

Out of the hands of the loving community, meanings are attached to what happens to the wedding loaf during its tenure in the oven. A cracked loaf is thought to indicate future difficulties, while a higher rise is a sign of good luck.

On the wedding day, the korovai is carried into the church by a team of elders who are called starosty. From there, the bread is placed near the altar, and everyone in attendance at the reception gets a piece. In some traditions, guests are not given their piece of the korovai until they give their wedding gift to the couple. The korovai is cut and served to guests by a married man who is close to the bride, and people are only allowed to receive a korovai baked in their honor once — so, if a person marries for a second or third time, the ceremony should not have a korovai.