Red, Blue & White Cornmeal
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Before a Diné (Navajo) woman marries she prepares cornmeal of three colors: red for health, blue
for happiness and white for wealth. During the Diné wedding ceremony a basket like this
one is covered with the cornmeal and placed between the couple. The father of the bride
draws a line with corn pollen, a symbol of fertility, across the colored cornmeal to indicate
the four directions and draws a circle around the edge. The bride and groom eat from the
four directions and the center of the basket, and the rest of the cornmeal is shared with
the wedding guests. The last guest to eat from the basket receives it as a gift!
Navajo tribal web site: http://www.navajo.org/ |