SALT, A WELLSPRING OF WISDOM- An Old Armenian Custom
Salt represents Christian wisdom, human judgment, and moderation in life, which we find embodied in the Lord’s apostles and disciples. The disciples were charged with the duty to keep and protect the salt, as well as spread and disseminate a luminous share of that wisdom to all, in order to disperse mist and darkness, and enhance the harmony of life.

The Armenian Church, according to the customs and canons, conducts the blessing of salt on two occasions:

  Canon for the blessing of salt
The church fathers during the blessing ask the Lord to purify and cleanse the salt (from evil, and unclean elements) in order that whatever the salt touches shall be "pleasing and acceptable" to the Lord, and render us "clean and healthy in soul and body". It was an old custom in Armenia that animals to be sacrificed would have a bit of salt placed in their mouths. In performing this deed, the Christian person appealed for the realization of his wish, and vow, that the salt used in this manner was called "heavenly salt", because the fulfillment of the fervent desires would come from the heavenly Father.

Blessing of the home.
Salt is blessed, along with the bread and the water, since these are the substances very much necessary and vital for human life.

 

Salt, which represents purity, cleanliness, and non-contamination, was used with a central role in early religious rites and services. The old testament mentions a number of circumstances in which an offering on the sacrificial altar was salted, or dipped in salt, and points out the importance of "offering salt", or "salt of the covenant," saying, "You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking".

The depiction of salt has also permeated the speech of people. For example, according to the people, "to share bread and salt" means to have a meal together, or to be sincere, genuine intimate friends, or to establish an agreement of mutual love and respect. Bread and salt, therefore, connote strengthening a friendship, making it unbreakable.

In olden times, this idea served as a form of a vow, such as to say, "let bread and salt attest to it". This showed that people meant that their vow was genuine. In the ordinary conversational speech of Armenian people, the following sayings were used relative to the idea of bread and salt: "to forget bread and salt" (to be ungrateful); "may your bread and salt go rotten" (a curse); "there is no salt in what you say" (your words are unsavory).

 

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