Examples Of A Cultural Experience At A Jewish Wedding

645 Words3 Pages

Sierra Carey

Ms. Martino

English 111

02/03/23

Cultural Experiences at a Jewish Wedding

I have attended weddings before, but I have never experienced excitement and joy like attending a Jewish wedding. A close friend once invited me to his wedding, which opened my eyes to their weddings' cultural and religious significance. Even though times have evolved, they still try to emulate the Old Testament writings on wedding rules. A Jewish wedding is filled with cultural rituals with varying meanings and significance. The groom is referred to as the Chatan, while the bride is the kallah. Jews believe that the union of the two individuals give them forgiveness of their past sins as they begin new lives together. The groom takes the wedding similar to the yop Kippur; therefore, he wears the traditional white robe. Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, in which Jews talk to God to forgive them for the sins committed during the past year. …show more content…

Therefore, before the wedding ceremony starts, there is a mini ceremony called the Kabbalat Panin, where the Kallah and the Chatan occupy different rooms as they celebrate their incoming union. During the Kabbalat Panim, the chatan sits on a throne because the bride is considered a queen during the wedding and receive guests who might approach her to give the best wishes for the wedding while the groom's friends toast around him as they enjoy refreshments and sometimes sing for joy. Some grooms and friends might want to read the Torah. Some couples might also opt to read tenaim, which contains marriage engagement rules and confirmation of their intentions to get