In order to properly fulfill the requirements of the mikveh, the woman must remove all jewellery and even nail polish before entering the bath and must fully immerse herself in the water while reciting a special prayer.
Men sometimes visit as well in the week before their wedding, but will use separate facilities. Mikvehs vary from country to country - some are up to the standard of health clubs.
The bride, meanwhile, will often visit the ritual bath known as the Mikveh in the week before the wedding, so that she may cleanse herself spiritually and enter marriage in a state of complete purity. This is also often followed by a private celebration lunch for the respective families. On many occasions the service is followed by refreshments in the synagogue (known as a kiddush), where platters of food, drink and wine will be served to congregants. Often when the groom is playing his part in the service, members of the congregation will shower him with sweets, (younger members of the community tend to throw harder, in a jovial manner!). This involves him going to the synagogue and taking an active part in the service, as well as announcing the impending wedding to the congregation. A special ceremony is arranged for the groom known as an Ufruf. The week before the wedding is an exciting time. Published with permission from .ukīefore the wedding The wedding is announced However, this is more of an Orthodox tradition. As many people refrain from parties involving music and dancing during this period, it is not considered to be a good time to hold a wedding. There is no specific time of year when a wedding cannot take place, although many couples tend to avoid the period between the festivals of Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot which is known as the Omer and is a reflective and sad time in the Jewish calendar. (This is more popular in the winter when Sabbath ends early.) Ultra-Orthodox couples often hold ceremonies on weekdays. 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. 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).
This is a theme that is repeated at the ceremony of itself with the breaking of the glass. It involves breaking a plate to symbolise the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem, as a reminder that even in the midst of celebration Jews still feel sadness for their loss. The rituals associated with Jewish weddings begin as soon as a couple are engaged, with a ceremony known as tena'im. Even though the union was arranged, the man still had to ask the father of the bride-to-be for his daughter's hand in marriage, and to secure the engagement by paying a dowry. In the past, it was common for Jewish marriages to be arranged by the parents, with the help of a match-maker, known as a Yenta, and some ultra-Orthodox communities still follow this practice today. 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. Jewish wedding rites A cause for celebrationĪ Jewish wedding is one of the cornerstones of the Jewish life cycle and as with all religions, is a great cause for celebration.