There is a long-standing tradition in Europe (and now in many parts of the world) of offering a small gift to each person or each family who are guests at the receptions given for special occasions such as weddings, baptisms and anniversaries or other important functions. Tradition holds that Italian confetti candies are presented to each person (or family) along with a special gift as recognition for their support and good wishes – this is called a bomboniera.

Five confetti are typically included in the bomboniera to represent Health, Wealth, Fertility, Happiness and Long Life although the minimum number that can be used is three. The reason for this is that an odd number cannot be divided into two - signifying that the couple will not be parted.

The generic name “confetti” has nothing to do with the French and English word “confetti”, meaning bits of coloured paper, translated into Italian as “coriandoli”.

For the origin of confetti, one must look back to the ancient Romans, who celebrated births and marriages with the distant ancestors of today’s confetti. But until the Renaissance they – and other sweets – were made with honey. The introduction of sugarcane into European kitchens in the XVth century marked the beginning of the modern era for confetti. In the Renaissance, as in antiquity, confetti were not just for ceremonial use. They were real sweetmeats made of candied fruits, or, as can be learned from a manuscript of 1504, with almonds, dried fruits, aromatic seeds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or cinnamon, covered with a hard coating of sugar. They were habitually served not only at wedding banquets, but also at many important meals.

The following list shows the traditional colours and their representations:-

White for weddings
Silver for twenty-fifth anniversaries
Sky-blue or Pink for christenings
Red for graduations
Green for engagements

Of course, not everybody likes sugared almonds so these can be substituted. An alternative could be the chocolate dragee which has a chocolate centre surrounded by a sugar coating and looks similar to the sugared almond. However, in the event, it is down to personal choice and a chocolate or two often replaces the sugared confectionery!

The traditional bomboniera is made with some combination of tulle, organza, lace, silk, ribbon and/or flowers but has, in the main, been replaced with a boxed gift decorated to match the wedding colour theme.