• Bread and woman are two chosen symbols with ancient and sacred connotations
Today, March 8, when we honor hardworking women, among whom a place of honor has been recorded in history even by bakers, we wish growth and abundance to all colleagues who dedicate their work and skill to leaven our daily bread. Besides, bread and woman are two chosen symbols with ancient and sacred connotations.
"The Parable of the Dough", honoring the baker
Here, in "The Parable of the Dough", Christian teaching talks about how Jesus Himself appeared in the form of a woman "who took three measures of flour and made dough". He was thus suggesting that the simple activity of the woman who bakes bread carries deep symbols about how the Kingdom of Heaven has come to be. Since ancient times, women have been busy making bread. The woman measures the flour, puts it in a bowl, makes the yeast, kneads the dough and bakes it. This was the daily occupation of the housewife in the East and the West for thousands of years. And yet, the woman who breaks the bread was taken as the model of perfection in this parable, and not the man. And Christ compared Himself to a baker, because the woman - as wife and mother - prepares the bread first for the family in a loving manner, alongside the baker who bakes the bread to share it in the community. Everything Christ did for mankind was done out of pure love. Therefore, He compares Himself to a baker, explains the interpreter of the parable, Bishop Nicolae Velimirovici, in the work "Woman as a Symbol of Christ".
Bread, in the "care" of the woman
Moreover, also in ancient popular beliefs, bread had the attribute of a living being. Sometimes he was even the embodiment of God. Together with salt, bread is devoid of any negative connotation and is under the "care" of the woman. The bread was placed on the table in the place of honor. Wrapped in a clean white towel, it was often placed next to the icons. In the old world of the Romanian village, bread could be kneaded and put in the oven only by a woman. The bread was baked only on certain days of the week, considered auspicious for this act. It was put in the oven in complete silence, usually using the right hand. The number of loaves always had to be with the husband. After the loaves were taken out, the women would throw a few straws, a piece of wood or a coal into the oven, convinced that in this way they would make a path to Heaven.
