Everything
Continued from Page 10
The biggest Indian element at a Jewish wedding is the mehndi
ceremony, in which the bride’s hands are adorned with designs in
henna, according to an article about one Indian Jewish couple’s wed-
ding in the Times of Israel.

The article also lists local wedding rituals, including “wearing a
garland strung from jasmine flowers and smearing a yellow paste
of turmeric on both the bride and the groom’s faces.”
The turmeric smearing is said to bless the couple with fortune
and prosperity, according to a source in the article.

Ring exchanges are not focused on as heavily in Indian-Jewish
weddings as they are in Western culture. The article explained that
“instead, they’ve adopted the Indian practice of tying the mangalsutra
— a gold and black bead necklace which symbolically keeps the
couple safe from harm.”
Indian Jewish weddings also abide by laws of kashrut — with
their own twist.

The article focused on one couple’s wedding, whose culinary
fare included fiery mutton curries and the popular chicken
biryani, a “rice dish with pan-Indian appeal.” The article men-
tions that all meals were cooked with kosher meat but with their
own cultural zest.

“With its strong spices and condiments, the biryani is made in
over 30 different ways in various parts of the country. Indian Jews,
not to be outdone, have their own recipe,” said the bride in the story.

Other wedding traditions in other countries also have a lot to do
with food — but then again, as Jews, food is important.

According to WeddingTraditions.com, Japanese Jewish
couples and western Russian Jewish brides and grooms have
their own sets of customs.

“Immediately after the religious ceremony,” the article stated,
“the newly wedded Japanese Jewish couple jumps three times over
a large platter filled with fresh fish, or over a vessel containing live
fish, or step seven times backwards and forwards over a fish. The
ceremony is expounded to be the symbol of prayer for children.”
In other parts of the world, prayers for fertility are taken to eggs-
traordinary lengths.

A tradition in Jewish wedding culture in western Russia was to
“set a raw egg in front of the bride as a symbol of fruitfulness, and
that she may bear as easily as a hen lays an egg.”
In his book Marriage Customs of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dat-
ing Customs and Wedding Traditions, George P. Monger wrote: “Another
Jewish wedding tradition is to throw a raw egg toward a bride to express
the wish that she may have an easy and joyful childbirth.”
(No, thanks.)
Something Blue
As they saying goes, there are four components that constitute good
luck for brides: something old, something new, something borrowed
and something blue.

Brides in ancient Israel used to wear a blue ribbon to denote
modesty, fidelity and love.

Nowadays, brides can find much more subtle ways to incorporate
the color into their otherwise all-white getup. From nail polish, to
garters, to even the bouquet, websites offer immeasurable advice
for modern brides to incorporate this ancient tradition.

But no matter where in the world the wedding takes place, mod-
ifying ancient traditions to keep up with modern trends will continue
to marry the old and the new for Jewish couples. l
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