What You Need to Know About Jewish Wedding Traditions

Jewish Weddings Traditions

It’s obvious that Jewish wedding traditions are heavily influenced by religion. However, many of them root from the culture. On a typical Jewish wedding, people can find traditions in every part of the celebration — from the bride and groom’s attire to food and beverages to various rituals. Starting from the engagement to the wedding itself, these customs form an outline for the celebration.

It All Starts with the Engagement

An engagement party for a Jewish couple is a really important step towards their happy marriage. When all their dearest and nearest gather for this event, the bride and groom-to-be announce their decision to get married. For Jewish people, the proposal is a serious stage so it is also accompanied by a curious ritual. Mothers of both the groom and his future wife have to break a plate to show that the decision their children make cannot be terminated.

 

At some of the weddings, guests can be witnesses to both parties signing an actual marriage contract. This is a document that describes all the responsibilities of both the bride’s and the groom’s family members concerning the wedding celebration.

The Wedding Ceremony Itself

According to some Jewish wedding traditions, the soon-to-be-married cannot meet for a whole week preceding the big day. This tradition has some psychological aspects to it. There exists an opinion that a bond between two people can only become stronger if they are separated for some time. When the two finally unite on the wedding day, their emotions are intensified and they are truly happy to finally get married.

 

For the groom, the day starts with the Torah. After he does it, he gets blessings from his family and the congregation for a long and happy marriage. This is an unusual tradition of a Jewish wedding because people literally throw candles at the guy and wish him luck and joy in his new role of a married man. Fasting is another common ritual. An older part of this custom is religious as the newlyweds can be pure on the big day as they abstain from food as one of many natural pleasures. Thus, their souls are pure and ready to join a sacred union. As per a more modern reason behind this tradition, it is thought to help young people calm their nerves and not to worry about a sudden stomach ache or other stomach disorders.

About the Jewish Marriage Contract

This document is called Ketubah, and this is a document that both spouses sign during their wedding ceremony. One curious thing about this paper is that it works on two sides of a marriage at once — with it, the bride and groom are bound both legally and spiritually. This document is of civil and religious nature. Several witnesses should surround the newlyweds when they sign the contract. It is written in an old language of the Jews — Aramaic.

 

What are the contents of this document anyway? It is, in fact, a list of rules and recommendation for the couple to follow in order to have a great life together. There are some for the groom and the bride. Not matter for whom they are written, the main purpose of every point on the list is to know how to make your spouse happy. This is a paper that also establishes what is in possession of the husband and wife. So, as this document is legal, it can be used in court if the couple decides to start a divorce.

 

This is a valuable family item that can be inherited by many generations. However, if the Ketubah is lost, it needs to be immediately replaced by a new one.

Jewish Wedding Attire

Traditions of a Jewish wedding offer some variety of wedding dresses. However, this choice mostly depends on what religious branch the bride follows. As there are three of those, it is obvious that there are different levels of restrictions and rules applied to the bride’s attire. If the bride belongs to the Reform Judaism, she can pick any dress she likes. If she is from a more conservative part of the religion, she might need to cover her shoulders with at least short sleeves. And in case her family belongs to Orthodoxy, the bride will have to follow more rules: choose a dress with a long skirt and long sleeves and forget about an open-back dress.

 

White dresses are the most common ones as in Judaism as well as in many other religions and cultures white is a symbol of purity. However, some family may opt for brighter colors to reflect the joy from the event better. The veil is an important element involved in another Jewish wedding tradition. After the Ketubah is signed, the groom has to find his wife among many other girls wearing veils, which cover their faces. Traditionally, the veil symbolizes innocence and modesty of the bride.

The Wedding Reception — the Chuppah

Jewish Weddings Traditions

Jewish wedding ceremony traditions can be divided into two part. This part is known as the Chuppah. This is the second great part of the wedding. It can take place indoors in a beautiful venue or outdoors with some picturesque scenery. This is a time for blessings from the Rabbi, who reads the Torah and gives the newlyweds wine, which they drink together. This might be the first time they face their friends and relatives as one family.

 

This is a very elegant ceremony that is held inside a specially build construction on four poles — a Chuppah. As they come to it, the bride and groom are accompanied by two female and male relatives accordingly.

The Tradition of Seven Circles

This is another important Jewish tradition that many couples are glad to add to their wedding. Number seven has a significant meaning in Judaism. The bride has to walk around the room seven times. With this ritual, she is supposed to enter all seven parts of her husband’s soul.

Jewish Wedding Rings

In Judaism, the gold wedding ring is put on the index finger. It is usually a very simple yet elegant piece of jewelry. There is some deep symbolism in this ritual. It is another way to sign and seal the marriage. As the exchange of rings is compulsory, and the rings are supposed to be simple and not too expensive, the groom can afford them. If he cannot buy them himself, he can rely on his members of the Congregation who will most certainly help him and collect money to buy the rings.

Blessing the Jewish Wedding

Blessings and wishes are an important part of the celebration. According to the Jewish wedding traditions, the Rabbi blesses a cup of wine and hands the glasses over to the spouses. As the groom finishes his drink, he has to break his glass into many pieces. With this ritual, he ends his life as a bachelor and opens a new chapter with his beautiful wife. Breaking of the glass and a thick plate wrapped into a cloth means breaking bad habits. The newlyweds are purified of their old vices and almost reborn in marriage. After this ritual is fulfilled, the guests congratulate the couple once again shouting Mazel Tov.