"Is it True That Fewer People Are Choosing 'Omamori'? A Featured Guide on Selecting Gifts for Guests"

2016.10.30 published

Is it true that more people are not including [lucky items] in their wedding favors?

When it comes to wedding favors, the classic set includes [main gifts (dinnerware or catalog gifts), sweets (such as baumkuchen), and lucky items (such as bonito flakes)]. However, it seems that these days, many brides are choosing to exclude [lucky items]!

@haruno45

But is that a good thing??? I will introduce the reasons for including and not including lucky items from the perspective of actual brides＊

＼Modern＊Wedding Favor Trends／What is the purpose of including lucky items?

What are the [lucky items] included in wedding favors? At weddings, there are words and numbers considered bad luck, known as taboo words and numbers. Taboo words include terms that suggest couple misfortunes, such as [parting, breaking, crashing].

Taboo numbers refer to numbers considered unlucky, such as [4, which is associated with death]; hence, these numbers are avoided. Even numbers are also seen as bad since they can be split, suggesting separation.

The practice of including lucky items arose from the superstition that if wedding favors and sweets total [two items], it's bad luck because it's an even number; thus, the tradition grew to include a lucky item, bringing it to a total of three items.

＼Modern＊Wedding Favor Trends／What lucky items are typically included?

Popular lucky items included in wedding favors are [bonito flakes], [kelp], and [udon noodles].

Bonito flakes can be read as [katso, meaning victorious warrior] and are considered lucky due to their history as a reward for samurai. Kelp is associated with joy (yorokobu), and udon, being long and thick, symbolizes the desire for lasting and strong bonds between the couple and their guests.

＼Modern＊Wedding Favor Trends／Do you have to include lucky items?

Lucky items were traditionally included to avoid the belief that having only two items is inauspicious. Generally, items like bonito flakes cost around 1,000 yen. However, in reality, many single men living alone might not use bonito flakes or kelp when they receive them...!

Some modern brides, preferring not to give things that aren't needed, are opting to skip lucky items altogether. They are using the budget they save from removing the 1,000 yen lucky item to upgrade their main gifts or enhance their small gifts instead, demonstrating a practical approach typical of today’s brides♩

＼Modern＊Wedding Favor Trends／Some opinions against not including lucky items!

While some brides want to reallocate the money spent on lucky items to other areas because their friends wouldn’t appreciate receiving bonito flakes or kelp, others firmly believe that “not including lucky items is unimaginable.”

Older relatives and bosses who have attended many weddings might think, “Are they being frugal?" if they notice the absence of lucky items.

If you decide to forgo lucky items, make sure to do so with your guests in mind. A popular method is to use “gift segmentation,” where lucky items are included for some guests but not others, like friends＊

Consider the guests when choosing wedding favors＊

In this article, I have explained the reasons for not including lucky items in wedding favors. It is true that there’s a high chance that a single man who is friends with the groom will not use bonito flakes or kelp when given those items...!

Please think carefully about whether to include lucky items based on your relationship with your guests♩

@yuih_wd