Housewarming Gifts: Salt – Bread – Broom

Posted on January 23, 2009 
Filed Under Buying Your New Home, Valerie Zinger

Last week I had a conversation with a friend about housewarming gifts.  She said that you must always give a new homeowner salt and a broom.  I had never heard of this and often brought my friends and clients storage containers, organizing gadgets, spa days, plants, etc.  However, and here is the serendipitous thing, one of my Buyers was taking possession of her first house in the late fall.  My husband was concerned that she would be unprepared for winter and took her a shovel, a bag of outdoor salt and a broom.  See, without knowing it, we had brought her a traditional gift. 

Traditional – whose tradition?  I did an Internet search and found out that the Germans, Italians, Austrians, Jewish people, and likely every European nation have brought similar housewarming gifts.  The meaning seems to be:  Bread so that you will never go hungry; Salt to replace tears, spice up your life and good luck; and a Broom so you will be able to sweep troubles and bad luck away. 

Well, nothing succeeds like success so add to the list:   wine, candles, coins, sugar, plants, rice and/or wood.

Finally, there is the belief that, if you find an old broom left behind by the previous owners or you are going to bring your old broom to your new house, don’t.  Apparently it is bad luck.  You must disposes of it.

Photo credit:  Grains of Salt @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2769134850/

Valerie Zinger ~ Ottawa, Canada ~ 613-723-5300 ~ vzinger@royallepage.ca

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One Response to “Housewarming Gifts: Salt – Bread – Broom”

  1. New Gadgets | Housewarming Gifts: Salt - Bread - Broom on January 23rd, 2009 4:14 am

    [...] Original post by Ottawa Real Estate [...]

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