The traditions and rituals in a wedding have a lot of significance in the life of a bride and a groom. The wedding rituals in Jewish weddingmay vary depending on the cultural background of the couple.Well, if you are planning for a Jewish-themed wedding, then you need to know about their rituals to enjoy the authentic culture of the Jews. Before you start planning for a theme wedding, you need to know a few basic guidelines of the Jewish wedding traditions.
Here are some of the important guidelines you need to know to get a better understanding of the Jewish theme wedding ideas and rituals:
- KabbalatPanim: In this ritual, the bride and groom are not allowed to meet each other prior a week to the wedding. This is one of the wedding rituals of Jewish wedding that holds a great importance. It induces excitement and expectation of the conjugal life. According to this tradition, the groom and the bride separately meet the guests. In the meantime, the mother of both bride and groom jointly break a plate in the Ashkenazi tradition. This ritual signifies the importance of the conjugal life. Just as the plate once broken can never be joined back so is the delicate relationship between the husband and the wife.
- Badeken:
This tradition is popularly known as veiling of the bride by the groom. The groom and his family members visit the bride’s place and the groom covers the face of the bride with a veil. This is one of the important Jewish wedding traditions, it signifies the responsibility of the groom to protect his wife by veiling her from any trouble. - Wedding under the Chupah: According to the wedding rituals in Jewish wedding, the wedding takes place under the canopy called Chupah. This canopy denotes the beginning of the conjugal life under one roof. The Chupah ceremony is an outdoor activity. The canopy is constructed under the sky so that the newly married couple receives the blessing from the almighty. The bride and groom do not wear jewellery while they are taken to the Chupah by their respective parents. The bride completes seven circles around the groom which denotes that she is building the walls of their new world. The number seven signifies love and unity that they cannot achieve separately. After the completion of these seven rounds, the bride stands on the right hand side of the groom.
- Betrothal:
Well, in the next ritual, the two cups of wine are kept for Bethrothal blessing. After Rabbi offers prayers and recites chants, he gives the first cup to the newly married couple to drink. In Jews, the wine symbolizes happiness and beginning of a new journey. - Ketubah: Next comes the ritual of Ketubah. In this ritual, the reading of the marriage contract takes place. This contract marks the responsibilities of the groom towards his lawful wife. When the contract is accepted, the marriage is sanctified according to the Jewish tradition. This contract is signed by two witnesses and then it is handed over to the bride.
- Yichud:
In this ritual, the newly married couple is given few minutes of privacy. It marks the beginning of their new life, living together as inseparable soulmates. At the end of this ritual, they break their fast by sumptuous traditional Jewish cuisine.
We have discussed various rituals encompassing a Jewish wedding that you can consider including any interesting Jewish theme wedding ideas and rituals for your wedding day. Every ritual has a beautiful meaning that helps to build a strong marital bond.