With a single cast: how to celebrate a wedding in cast iron and what gifts to give

It is not known exactly why the sixth wedding anniversary is called cast iron and where this name comes from. The main version – cast iron – the material, although durable, is far from the strongest of metals. It can also crack, especially if the technology of its fusion has been violated. It is melted in ovens at a temperature of over 1000 degrees, and it is a long process. An analogy can be made with marriage: if the spouses celebrate an iron wedding, their relationship has definitely “hardened” and has managed to withstand a certain test of time. But, despite having a decent experience, a marriage can still crack or even break – and relationships still need to be worked on to make them stronger.

In all countries, the sixth wedding anniversary is not called an iron wedding. In Germany, it is celebrated as a sugar wedding, in the United States it is also called candy, in the Netherlands – plaster, and in Latvia – mountain ash. An old Latvian tradition is to decorate the house with rowan branches on this day, which play the role of a kind of family amulets.

In the past, it was customary to prepare especially carefully for a wedding in cast iron. Husband and wife had to show all relatives how well they know how to manage the household, what order they have in everything.

The housewives were especially careful on the eve of sorting the dishes: they should enter the new year of living together only with a whole, without cracks and chips. All cast iron pots and other containers have been cleaned to perfection. If all the years of marriage the wife kept order, put the kitchen utensils in order, then it was not difficult for her to clean the dishes. If the fonts were not respected and they were covered with a thick layer of soot, it was not possible to get them back in shape, alas. And since the fonts were put on the table, all the guests recognized that the woman was lazy or careless.

At the festive table, where parents gathered for lunch, first place was given to dishes cooked in cast iron utensils. These are meat and potatoes, stewed cabbage, various cereals, baked pumpkin, etc. They were laid on the table directly in the fonts – so everyone can make sure the fonts sparkle and shine.

Before starting the meal, the guests tapped spoons on the dishes: it was believed that this would scare away the forces of evil and attract the good, who would continue to protect the marriage.

In addition, the brightest cast-iron pot was thrown around the circle – the guests had to fill it with coins so that the family always had prosperity. This tradition can be followed today – what if the experience of our ancestors helps us?

In the countries of Eastern Europe and in some regions of Russia, at the end of a festive dinner, it was customary to put a “cast iron” on the table – a meat pie, respectively, cooked in cast iron cookware. Each housewife had her own recipes, which were passed down from generation to generation. Grated potatoes, eggs, finely chopped onions and mushrooms were added to the minced meat.

It is not customary to hold a large-scale celebration in honor of this date, but it is also impossible not to celebrate a cast-iron wedding at all. According to the tradition of the ancestors, you can celebrate it with relatives or closest friends, or just in pairs. The best environment will be a restaurant with national cuisine. One should not choose the most pretentious and fashionable institution: let there be a cozy atmosphere and a room corresponding to the holiday. And be sure to get the waiter to serve a dish in a cast iron pan.

The simplest gift in the theme is cast iron cookware, elegant, eco-friendly and practical: modern products are nothing like the cast iron skillet monsters of the past. You cannot limit yourself to pots and pans and offer, for example, a raclette bowl or a fondue bowl. But, of course, such a gift will delight those who love to cook. A simpler option is an openwork cast-iron warming rack, it will also be useful for those who do not cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs. You can also donate various cast iron home decor items.

For a cast-iron wedding, it is recommended to give things that are of practical importance: unnecessary trinkets like symbolic figurines or commemorative medals are unlikely to really please anyone. A cast-iron pot for a Russian stove, if one is not in the house, will most likely take its place on the shelf next to unnecessary souvenirs – but a set of good double-bottomed or triple-bottomed pots (not necessarily cast iron) or cool non-stick pans will be a good gift for the family, whose members love to cook. A brazier with skewers, a barbecue with a set of accessories, a charcoal grill, a fireplace set or a wrought iron planter will surely appeal to fans of a country holiday.

An original gift can be a cake made to order and styled like an old cast iron product, like an antique iron.

If there is any doubt that you will be able to guess with the gift, you can hand over a small cast-iron pot by putting some money in it. Don’t forget to arrange it beautifully: tie it with a ribbon, wrap it with gift paper, etc.

If you really want to give a symbolic gift, let it be meaningful. You can present a cast iron castle – a symbol of strength and strength in marriage. And in Germany and France, on the sixth wedding anniversary, they often give a “caramel house” of cookies and sweets – this symbolizes a strong marriage and promises the spouses a sweet life.

It is impossible to give skewers and other things that can hurt a cast-iron wedding without taking a symbolic coin for it – otherwise, as in the case of knives, such a gift can cause a quarrel.

Alcoholic beverages for a melting and any other wedding anniversary are also considered a bad gift: according to superstition, giving such an alcoholic gift thus takes away the health of the one to whom it gives.

Our ancestors were very careful in choosing dishes for the festive table: in no case plates or bowls could not be placed on it, even with a hint of cracks – so that the marriage did not crack.

The wife should cut the meat pie, and the husband should help her, supporting the knife – following this sign, the spouses will continue to do everything together. Another sign allows relatives present at the table to determine who is really the head of the family and who generally has the last word: it is the spouse whose hand is highest on the handle of the knife.

How the cake turned out was closely monitored, and it was prepared with particular diligence. If the “cast iron” burns – this portends family quarrels, if uncooked – cooling of feelings. If the wife salts the minced meat – it’s okay, then she is still in love with her husband. But if, due to the large amount of onions, the cake is bitter, then there are problems in the relationship of the spouses.

Photo: Legion Media