Request Newsletter | Bridal Online Website | Return To Main Page
| |
| |
|
Marriage & Wedding Information |
|
|
|
Jewish Wedding Traditions - The Wedding Day in a Nutshell
Many of the Jewish wedding traditions are derived from ancient Jewish wedding customs dating back thousands of years. Orthodox Jewish weddings always include these customs. Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Jews and others can gather meaningful Jewish Wedding traditions from these pages to incorporate into their wedding day. In traditional circles, both the bride and groom do not see each other for a week before the wedding. They then both fast on the wedding day, unless it falls on the day of the new Jewish month. Pre-Chuppah (Jewish Wedding Canopy) Festivities The wedding itself begins with the groom's ketubah signing. The ketubah is the Jewish marriage contract that acknowledges the commitment and obligations the bride and groom have toward each other. While this is happening, the bride sits like royalty in a separate area and greets all of the wedding guests. This is called Kabbalat Panim--where Hors d'Ouevres are often served. After the groom signs the Ketubah, the crowd dances him to his bride for an ancient jewish wedding tradition called the Bedekin. The bedekin is where the groom lowers the veil over the bride's face. The reason for this Jewish wedding tradition comes from the Old Testament. In the old testament of the bible, Jacob was fooled while trying to marry Rachel, and instead was married to a woman named Leah who was completely veiled before and during the ceremony. Jewish grooms today do this tradition to symbolically acknowledge that the bride is indeed one's beloved. The guests are then escorted to the main hall for the wedding ceremony. The Jewish Wedding Traditions of the Ceremony While the groom is being escorted to the chuppah, the bride sits in meditative prayer. This is a wonderful Jewish wedding tradition that allows the bride to reflect on both her single life that is ending and her married life that is beginning. The rest of the wedding attendants walk down to the chuppah and await the bride's entrance. Her parents walk her down and when she reaches the groom she engages in the ancient jewish wedding tradition where she circles her groom three or seven times, symbolizing the "new family circle" she is creating with him. The rabbi then welcomes the guests and invokes the blessing of G-d. The rabbi or cantor then recites the kiddush, the blessing over a cup of wine, and the couple responds, Amen. The couple then drinks from the cup of wine. The groom then takes a Jewish Wedding ring and gives it to the bride, while reciting the marriage betrothal statement in both Hebrew and English, "With this ring, you are consecrated to me in according to the laws of Moses and Israel." In Orthodox weddings, there is only one ring, from groom to bride, signifying the groom's commitment to the bride with a valuable object. After the bride accepts the ring, the rabbi or an honoree reads the ketubah for all to hear, and then hands it to the groom, who in turn hands it to the bride. Generally, this is when the rabbi makes a short speech. Afterwards, the rabbi or an honoree(s) recite the sheva b'rakhot, or seven jewish wedding blessings, which praise G-d and wish the couple blessing in their new life. Finally, the best-known traditions of Jewish weddings occurs-- the breaking of the wedding glass. After the Chuppah Jewish Wedding Traditions The breaking of the glass ends the actual ceremony. The crowd then dances the couple to a private room, where they spend 10-15 minutes alone, time to exhale and embrace. In addition, they break their fast together, and in addition to digesting food, they have a moment to digest what has taken place. The bride and groom then enter the dining hall for the first time as a married couple and the festivities begin. Like any wedding, there is dancing, music, good food, and lots of booze. :) An honoree(s) says the blessing over the bread, and the grand meal begins. After Birkat Hamazon-- the grace after meals-- is said, the Sheva B'rakhot are repeated. Of course, this guide is a brief overview of all the intricate Jewish wedding traditions and customs found in Jewish Weddings. About the Author: Josh Singer and Shira Frimer are authors and owners of http://www.about-jewish-weddings.com, containing completely FREE articles on everything from A-Z you should know about Jewish Weddings and Jewish Wedding traditions. Visit their website and receive with no strings attached, "101 ways to save on your Wedding Costs" - a $69.00 value, absolutely free. They also offer beautiful, completely customizable Jewish Wedding Rings, hand-painted custom Ketubahs (Jewish Marriage Contract), as well as hand-painted silk Jewish Wedding Chuppahs. © 2005 Josh Singer and Shira Frimer. This article may be republished, as long as it remains unchanged, carries this copyright and reprint notice, and has a live link to our site.
MORE RESOURCES:
Wedding - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Belize Honeymoon Resorts The enchanting Belize honeymoon resorts captivate every visitor through the appealing secluded jungle atmosphere as well as the beautiful hideaway crystal-clear beaches. One of these resorts would be the Turtle Inn Resort Located in Placencia in Belize, which promises a stay within the natural wonders of the tropical coast. The Gracious Bride The key to being a gracious bride is to be genuine, thoughtful and courteous if you can pull this off making sure you have a good time as well as everyone else the day should be memorable.The mixture of personalities from crazy aunt Martha to your best friends new artist boyfriend and your husbands Architect boss make weddings difficult to pull off and wonderfully fun at the same time. Relationship Advice: A Map for Your Marriage Have you ever been lost?My favorite line about being lost comes from an old "M*A*S*H" episode where Hawkeye says, "We're not lost. I've been lost before, and this is not what it looks like. Marriage Counseling Tips: 7 Ways to Handle Conflict in Marriage How do you handle arguments that lead to heated exchanges with your spouse? Do you value being right over preserving the quality of your relationship? And how long do you stay angry after you've had a fight?How you answer these questions offers a clue into how secure your marriage is. Unfortunately, too many married couples let unbridled confrontations tear the fabric of their relationship. Low Budget Wedding Reception The reception alone will bust your wedding budget if you're not careful. Of course, the most obvious way to save money on the reception is to keep it small. Family Cycle (I) - Euphoric and Dysphoric Cycles in Marriage Despite all the fashionable theories of marriage, the narratives and the feminists, the reasons to engage in marriage largely remain the same. True, there have been role reversals and new stereotypes have cropped up. Wedding Favor Creator Wedding favors have always been a nice, personal gesture to include in your wedding preparations. Unfortunately, there are too many "cookie-cutter" type favors out there, which portray the couple's lack of interest in providing something unique. Bridal Jewelry: Fulfilling a Wedding Tradition 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.' This is a saying that many brides take to heart when considering their wedding trousseau. Choosing a Wedding Reception and Banquet Facility It's time to look for a banquet facility. Most clients end up deciding on a particular banquet facility for two specific reasons - they like how they were treated by the banquet sales staff and they fall in love with the facility when they walk through the doors. Family Law A frustrating lack of permanence plagues modern relationships. Approximately one of every two marriages ends in divorce and the average length of a marriage before divorce is only five years. How to Lower a Wedding Cake Price I recall how Mrs. Ingridman taught me invaluable lessons on how to lower a wedding cake price while still going for the classiest of cakes. Lighting The Way When Two Become One Whether you want to add a little extra romance to an evening reception or a little glow to your house of worship, candles are a natural, effortless addition to your wedding theme. You'll have no trouble finding a role for candles at the wedding ceremony, at the reception, and even as part of the floral displays. Wedding Invitations-Today's Etiquette and Wording The look of the wedding invitations you send will not only says a lot about you and your husband-to-be they will also convey a fair amount of information about your upcoming ceremony. So it is important to plan the type of wedding you will have before you make any decisions about your invitations. Wedding Insurance - Peace of Mind for Your Perfect Day? With the average cost of a wedding around £17,000 you would think that more couples would take out wedding insurance just in case something happens to spoil the special day. However, an estimated 85% of couples planning to get married do not bother with insurance. Your Disc Jockey Acts As A Wedding Event Planner Give disc jockey's credit. Many of them have endured so much criticism. Las Vegas Helicopter Weddings If you've always dreamed of flying in a helicopter, Las Vegas helicopter weddings are your chance to incorporate that dream into your wedding plans. You may think of your helicopter as mere transportation, taking you from one location in and around Las Vegas to another or you may plan your entire wedding inside the helicopter while you are up in the air, or on the way to the location of your choice. Do We Still Need Wedding Traditions? Traditionally at weddings the speechs are made after the wedding dinner but do the speech makers really enjoy their meal? I have been to weddings where the best man could not eat his dinner because of nerves!!Traditions come into being when many people do the same thing over and over again so by definition we can start our own traditions to suit the times in which we live. So when it comes to speaking and eating at a wedding then why not reverse the order and let everyone enjoy their meal!!Now more than ever before we stand up for the right to express our individuality so why on one of our most precious of days do we feel bound by the past and what is traditional? Our wedding day should be an expression of who we are, of who these two people are and how they are going to mix. Grooming for the Groom The big day is not all about the bride; the groom is also in the limelight and would like to look his best too. With the increase of men's beauty products like Clarins, Lancôme, Nivea, Decleor, suggesting that men are paying more attention to their image then ever before. Wedding Flowers - What Every Bride Should Know before Her Big Day Whether your wedding will be coming up roses, daffodils, or something else, choosing the wrong flowers for that blissful day can create a scene you'll want to soon forget. But armed with a few basics about flowers, the arrangements you choose will land you a bevy of compliments and queries. Hot Wedding Trend: Platinum Wedding Rings In our hungry-for-anything new pop culture world, celebrities are often the ones that can start a hot fashion trend seemingly overnight. With their heavy media exposure, they are often photographed wearing the latest styles in fashion and jewelry.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
