Jewish Wedding Ceremonies

Many Jews around the world often have the same set of beliefs in terms of their religion and lifestyle. Most of today’s observable jewish practices are a result of ancient Ashkenazi culture.  The process of marriage that these Jewish people practice consists of two general stages, Kiddushin and Nisuin. In Kiddushin, a woman chooses to accept "the money, contract or sexual relations offered by the prospective husband” (Tracey 2011) and is therefore “set aside” (Tracey 2011) to be the bride of only that man. During this time, the couple is essentially husband and wife but generally do not live with each other permanently until the final stage, Nisuin, which is the stage of marriage in which the husband and wife are permitted to live together permanently. In the past, these two stages were performed months apart, but are now commonly performed at the same time. The actual wedding ceremony that takes place in post Ashkenazi Jewish culture involves several rituals. The first of which includes the Shabbat, which is where the couple is not allowed to see each other for seven days prior to the wedding itself. Fasting is typically performed by both the bride and the groom the day before the wedding.  The duration of the ceremony typically lasts less than an hour, during which the Kiddushin and Nisuin are performed and completed. During the Kiddushin, the groom is required to place a ring on the finger of the bride while she circles around reciting blessings. Shortly thereafter, the Nisuin commences and the bride and groom stand under a canopy, known as a chuppah, to “[symbolize] the husband bringing the wife into his home” (Tracey 2011). The couple then proceeds to chant a series of seven blessings designed to further sanctify their relationship. Shortly after, they drink wine and the groom smashes the glass with his foot to further symbolize “the destruction of the temple” (Tracey 2011). Once these steps have been completed, the two retreats for a brief amount of time to their private room while festivities commence outside, starting the martial relationship.