The Charm of Jewish wedding

Any wedding should be a joyful and unique event supposed to represent a happy and awaited moment for anyone who participates but of course, this must be "The most important day" for the groom and his bride. Traditions and customs are present in every culture but I found a fascinating and extremely symbolic uniqueness in the Jewish wedding. Hoping you will find it as interesting as I did, let’s go on and see more.

With traditions old as the Bible, the Jewish wedding brings a charming, exquisite blend of joy and sobriety of the proceedings; it startles the deepest esteem for the values of the Almighty God who invented marriage in the first place. I fell in love with their traditions from the groom’s arrival at the "Badecken" - the place where the bride is waiting for her groom - to the well-known stepping on the glass: "Mazel Tov!"

Jewish marriage is called "kiddushin"(sanctification)

Like in Christianity, marriage is a sacred institution in Judaism as well. The Hebrew name of Jewish marriage is called "kiddushin," which means "sanctification". It is considered a holly act and as a matter of fact, the marriage day is like a personal Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) for the couple, this means that this day is holly; they ask forgiveness for their sins and fast until the ceremony in the synagogue begins.

The ceremony under the Chupah

In the synagogue or in open air (the tradition says open air), the couple stands under the "Chupah" or the canopy, specially decorated for this occasion. The groom puts on (over his suit) the traditional white robe, known as the "Kittel"; this robe traditionally worn on Yom Kippur symbolizes the sobriety of the event and it is a reminder of the solemn implications this act actually has. The Chupah itself evokes the biblical story where Ruth said to Boaz "spread your robe over your handmaid" and it also shows the longing that their home be under the shelter and blessing of God.

The tune "Baruch haba" accompanies the the entrance of the bride at Jewish weddings.She enters escorted by "the Unterfirers", the couples escorting the Choson and Kallah to the Chupah, and each of them carry a lit candle in their hands. The groom enters first and stands under the Chupah awaiting the arrival of his bride thus welcoming her into his new "home."

On his wedding day, the groom is compared to a king and just as the legion of a king surrounds him, the same way the groom is to be encircled by his bridal entourage seven times, representing the seven times fold bond which is established between them and their families. There are many connotations of the number seven, which represents perfection in Judaic perception. When the bride has finished encircling the groom, she stands at his right side, as the Psalmist says, "at the right hand does the queen stand."

So there they are: the king and his queen! They should be like that for the rest of their lives, as no one should set apart what God put together.

If you have seen Jewish weddings I am sure you wondered what’s with all that breaking, the breaking of the glass and also the plate the mothers-in-law break. I personally find that very interesting and nice, but let’s see the significance behind it.
Why do the mothers-in-law break a plate?

It is a Jewish tradition to make a standard document named "Tena'im" which represents the groom’s "Choson" promise to marry the bride "Kallah". The mothers-in-law cover the plate in a piece of cloth and they break it together to symbolize that just as the breaking of a plate is irreversible, the same way the engagement is irrevocable.

Why does the groom break the glass?

In the end of the ceremony under the Chupah, the groom breaks the wedding glass with his right foot. This is a supplementary commemoration of the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This custom was introduced in the wedding ceremony to remind them that even in the most personal celebration, they are not to forget how their heart broke when this event took place.

If you want to see a few essentials moments in a Jewish wedding, I added the address right here, it is lovely and worth seeing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG4ehRULZKU

"Mazel Tov!" (Congratulations!)