Bread and salt is a Slavic welcome greeting ceremony.
The tradition, known by its local Slavic names (Russian: Хлеб-соль; Ukrainian: Хліб-сіль; Belarusian: Хлеб і соль; Bulgarian: Хляб и сол; Macedonian: Леб и сол; Croatian: Kruh i sol; Serbian: Хлеб и со; Polish: Chleb i sól; Slovak: Chlieb a soľ; Czech: Chléb a sůl; Slovene: Kruh in sol), was also adopted by two non-Slavic nations — Lithuanians (Baltic) and Romanians (Latin) — both of which are culturally and historically close to their Slavic neighbours (Lithuanian: Duona ir druska and Romanian: Pâine şi sare).
When important, respected, or admired guests arrive, they are presented with a loaf of bread placed on a rushnik (embroidered towel). A salt holder or a salt cellar is placed on top of the bread loaf or secured in a hole on the top of the loaf. In modern Russia, on official occasions, the "bread and salt" is presented by young women dressed in national costumes (e.g., sarafan and kokoshnik).
When this tradition is observed in spaceflight, appropriately small packages of bread and salt are used.
Famous quotes containing the words bread and/or salt:
“God gave man a mouth to receive bread, hands to feed it, and his hand has a right to carry bread to his mouth without controversy.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“At sea a fellow comes out. Salt water is like wine, in that respect.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)