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Weeding is one of the biggest ceremonies in all religions. Rituals of wedding vary largely from one religion to another and even from one wing of a religion to other wings. A wedding ceremony speaks a lot about a particular religion, its ethnicity and beliefs associated with it. It’s a very colorful ceremony, with specific rituals for every step. I consider myself to be very lucky to attend wedding ceremonies of different religious communities and to me Jewish wedding is the most colorful among wedding of all religions.

Rituals of Jewish wedding start from the week preceding the date of marriage.  Both the bride and the groom visit houses of their relatives to take their blessings and they are greeted with gifts. In this journey the groom is accompanied by his male friends and the bride with her female companions. Both bride and groom fast for the last 48 hours before the wedding. Very interestingly, there are specific religious attire that they dress up with during this period.

The bride has to be taken to the sea for a holy dip just before stepping under the canopy (the wedding venue). However these days people use holy water as an alternative. It is customary for the bride’s mother to bless her while she combs her hair after the holy bath is complete and after that she is escorted to the wedding venue by her female companions. In the meantime, the groom reaches the venue and is greeted with sweets and food of his choices by the bride’s family members.

The weeding ceremony takes place under a beautifully appointed canopy which is surrounded by members of both the families. It’s a traditional practice to sign the ketuba (marriage contract) after which the bride and the groom are taken to the actual wedding venue (huppa). They share wine from a single cup and then the groom put the wedding ring on the bride’s finer after which they are declared married. The rituals end with the groom breaking a glass by stepping on it as a sign of acceptance.

A grand feast is organized in the honor of the parents of both parties and it turns into a wedding party.