symbols of all sorts of good things

1. Long, long ago in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, where almond trees first grew, the almond nuts were prized and were even considered in some cultures to be omens of good luck or even an aphrodisiac. They became symbols of all sorts of good things, including vitality and fertility.It may have all started in Greek mythology, when the beautiful Greek princess Phyllis was left standing at the altar on her wedding day by Demophon. She waited many years for him until eventually she died of a broken heart. The gods changed her into an almond tree and she became a symbol of hope. When Demophon finally arrived, somewhat late for his wedding, he found the tree, seemingly dead, without leaves. Remorsefully he embraced it and at once it began to bloom, proving that death cannot conquer love.Precious almonds must have seemed the most appropriate gifts to give couples at their weddings. Later when bridal gifts became more sophisticated, the tradition held and the bride would give her guests a little thank you gift that consisted of five almonds presented in a pretty little package, usually made up of an attractive fabric, laces and ribbons.The five almonds represented fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness; the ultimate gifts to wish upon anyone. In the 13th century it is believed that the skill of coating the nuts

2. with sugar was discovered. In Greece these were called ¡®koufetta¡¯, which was the forerunner of today¡¯s ¡®confetti¡¯ now a completely different thing, but still connected with wedding tradition.Round about the 16th century at the beginning of the rise of European ¡®high society¡¯, led by France, it became fashionable in the top circles to offer wedding guests gifts in elaborate little boxes, sometimes encrusted with precious stones. The gifts usually contained edible, sugary ¡®bon-bons¡¯. These gifts were called ¡®bonbonniere¡¯.This tradition lives on today. In English speaking countries these little gifts are now called wedding favours. They are small tokens of appreciation by the bridal couple to the guests for attending the wedding celebration with them.If you are getting married soon, you may like to continue the charming almond tradition or include almonds in the little gifts you include in your wedding favour packages. • The e-commerce store once appearing at this domain welcomed visitors to its replica Hermes section by stating Replica provides some of the highest quality replica hermes handbags available on the Internet and he highest care in manufacturing and quality assurance goes into the production of these Hermes replica handbags.