A wedding is an occasion in which two individuals are legally joined in matrimony. The customs and traditions vary significantly between societies, ethnic groups, religious faiths, regions, and countries. In the United States, the tradition of having a wedding party typically takes place in a church, reception hall, or other location dedicated to this form of public expression of commitment and love.
There are many customs and traditions surrounding Jewish weddings. The Jewish wedding ceremony is usually performed three to five days after the date of the groom’s wedding day, known as niddah. The wedding party is also held at this time. The wedding invitation, which serves as the formal invitation to the ceremony, contains specific instructions for the bride and groom, as well as the date and time of the wedding. Many of these same instructions are also contained in wedding planning guides and prayer sheets that are distributed to the guests at the time of the wedding.
Jewish weddings are not simply celebrations of the couples love and commitment to one another; they also represent the collective continuity of the Jewish people. There are several different ceremonies that are performed during Jewish weddings, including the lighting of the synagogue lamp, the sending of the dove into the pond at night, and the celebration of a mani, which is the Jewish bath that lasts for the nine days leading up to the wedding. These ceremonies represent various aspects of Jewish history and tradition. For example, the lighting of the synagogue lamp symbolizes the restoration of the temple to its former glory following the rebuilding of the Temple by the High Jewler Joseph and his fellow Jews following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.
Another important aspect of a Jewish wedding is the exchange of the wedding vows. These vows, or wedding vows, are recited by the bride and groom in a synagogue or other place of worship before they are pronounced by the rabbi. The wedding vows are used as a means of expression by both the bride and the groom conveying their love for one another, their intention to marry, and their desire to spend their lives together as a married couple. The wedding vows can be personally written by the couple or they can be prepared by a member of the wedding party or the wedding officiant.
One important detail of the wedding ceremony is the wedding dress. The traditional Chinese wedding dress is white, but other ethnic or cultural wedding dresses are also available. In a Chinese traditional wedding dress, the groom is expected to wear a matching traditional Chinese pajama, known as the jungkran pants. This jungkran pants style is believed to have been first worn by the groom during his military service in World War Two in which he was stationed in Manchuria (now named China) and was forced to serve in the defense forces. During this time period, he developed the habit of wearing the pants to bed on his return from the war a tradition that has now carried over into his wedding day attire.
On a less elaborate but just as significant part of the wedding ceremony is the exchange of wedding rings. A ring is usually worn by the bridegroom on his left hand before the wedding ceremony begins. This ring symbolizes the beginning of a new relationship as husband and wife, and was traditionally given by the bride to the groom’s family. However, today, grooms can also present their rings prior to the marriage ceremony. The wedding date and time of the wedding reception follows after the marriage ceremony.