In the Ethiopian Orthodox community it is customary to separate the Nuptial Mass held in church from the social celebration, which take place in a banquet hall. This later feast ends with the families of the bride and groom gathering together in order to choose a nickname for the bride (yedabo-sem), by which the groom's family will call her in the future. |
Holding a bread ring to the bride's face while her new name is announced
Jerusalem , 2003
Photo: Ami Baram
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Bread (dabo) plays a central role in this ceremony: the two fathers place a loaf before the bride and groom, cut it in a circle, and carve out the middle, creating a "bread ring." They then hold up this ring to the newlyweds' faces while the middle portion is distributed to the guests. Each in turn pronounces the bride's new name and receives a slice of the dabo. |
