Would you explain to us what are The Seven Blessings in the Jewish Wedding Ceremony?
Adapted from ancient historical texts, the Sheva Berachot [The Seven Blessings] are a key element of the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. They begin the second part of the wedding ceremony called Nissuin, where the community bestows it's blessing upon the couple.
Originally there were two separate rituals, Erusin [Betrothal] and Nissuin [The Wedding], which could be held months even years apart. Today, modern Jewish weddings combine both rituals into one ceremony with two parts. It is the custom to recite the blessings over a second cup of wine to remember the ancient ways.
In Jewish mysticism, seven is a significant number. According to the Torah, the physical world was created in six days, and on the seventh G-d rested. Every marriage is a creative process. It is the creation of a family, an ever-growing, unfolding process of love and understanding, a creation born out of a couple’s unique love for each other. They are meant to sanctify the marriage and echo the path of creation.
The first blessing, the wine ceremony, celebrates the Creator’s ability to create. Each blessing then becomes more specific, giving thanks for the creation of man and woman, then the birth of children, and the joys of marriage. These seven blessings, known in Hebrew as the Sheva Berachot, call marriage a joyful time that each generation should know.
There are many different ways couples choose to incorporate the Seven Blessings into an interfaith wedding ceremony. Sometimes they choose to have the rabbi recite the blessings in English only or they may honor seven family members or friends to give their own blessing. At one wedding, their were seven musical couples, each wrote a song for the kallah [bride] and groom [katan]. It turned into a mini-concert in the garden.
Double Happiness sign is placed for all to see as a sign of good luck.
Jewish and Chinese customs both share rituals that honor their families and ancestral heritages. The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a way for the couple to show respect and gratitude. Tea was served to both families prior to the Ketubah signing ceremony and the formal Jewish Wedding. Bride and groom both wore the most auspicious Chinese color red for the tea ceremony, changing into Western wedding dress and suit for the Jewish wedding. The color red is a sign of good luck because of its association with fire, the sun, brightness, yang life energy and the lifeblood that demons fear most.
