Thursday, July 24, 2008

Jewish wedding

A Jewish wedding is one of the cornerstones of the Jewish life cycle and as with all religions, is a great cause for celebration. Although there are many laws and traditions associated with the wedding itself, other rituals take place in the weeks leading up to the big day.

The wedding itself can be held on any day of the week apart from during the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday, or on major Jewish festivals such as the Day of Atonement or Jewish New Year (when Jews are required to refrain from work). In the UK, Sunday is the most popular day for Jewish weddings to be held - in countries such as the US it is also common for weddings to be held on Saturday night after the Sabbath (this is more popular in the winter when Sabbath ends early). Ultra-Orthodox couples often hold ceremonies on weekdays.




Significance of the number seven

Number seven important in the Jewish wedding - seven glasses of wine and drank during the rituals and celebrations afterwards. This is because God created the world in seven days and in that, the bride is figuratively building the walls, several new home.

During the service, the bride and groom to drink the first of seven glasses of wine, and a few prayers were said for a couple of binding together. One of the most important parts is giving the ring. The ring must belong to itself, the groom - must not be borrowed - and must be a complete circle without pause, to emphasize hope for harmonious marriage, and must be plain without stones or decoration. This is not a condition for the groom wears a wedding ring, but many people do. As with other religions, the ring is the best man held until it is time to groom that the bride is ga. When the groom give the bride the ring he recites the following verse:

Here you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel.

During the ceremony, the officiator of the service, usually Master, will make speech about the couple and bless them as they begin their new life together. This service also includes prayer, is usually sung Cantor, sadness about Jewish people and the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. As the engagement ceremony, Jews, remember that even on their luck to the marriage, they still Remember this, and the fact that other sad events have occurred in Jewish history, and to pay respect to those who have suffered.


The ceremony ends


The ceremony ends with the breaking of glass by the groom, who is also connected to the memory of the destruction of the Temples. Many people joke that the breaking of glass also symbolizes recently married a new man will always be able to put his foot down! When the broken glass, congregants will convey their congratulations to the couple.

After that, it is traditional for the newlyweds to spend some time alone, together in a special room before greeting his guests. As with all communities and religions, such as Jews to film their wedding and take photos, and often it was done between the ceremony and wedding party. Sometimes, especially in the case of evening weddings, official photographs will be taken before the ceremony to make the best use of time available.

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