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Matrimony mosaic
Common customs across religions
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- The Jewish tradition: In the Jewish tradition the bride and her family circle the groom seven times after they arrive at the chuppah or the wedding canopy. This custom, called Hakafot , corresponds to the seven marriage blessings or shevah berachot which are recited over a wine goblet, joining the new couple to their community. The circling of the bride denotes how central to her life her husband is and it also represents a seven-fold bond which marriage will establish between the bride and groom and their families. The number seven represents the completion of the seven-day process in which earth was created. During these seven days, the earth revolved on its axis seven times. Since marriage reenacts the creative process, the bride's encirclement symbolises the repetition of these seven earthly rotations.
- The Roman Catholic Tradition: Marriage is considered as the one of the seven Sacraments of Catholicism which are believed to be channels of God's grace. Roman Catholicism believes that through the sacrament of Matrimony (marriage), spouses help each other to strive for holiness in their married life and by rearing and educating their children in the faith. The Seven Sacraments are believed to be ordained by Christ himself and effective in conferring the grace on the believer. The other six Sacraments are: Baptimism, Penance, The Eucharist, Confirmation, Anointing the sick and Holy Orders.
The bridal veil: The veil has traditionally stood for youth and virginity. In Far Eastern countries, people believed that wicked spirits were especially attracted to women. So, as protection from the Evil Eye, women always wore veils. The custom continued with the association of the veil changing from modesty and obedience, into a symbol of chastity till it became the sign of submission of women. For any reason whatsoever the veil is an important part of the marital ceremonies the world over.
- The Hindu Tradition: The Hindu bride is covered with a long veil at all times of the ceremony. This is intended to keep the evil eye away. The veil is formally taken away once, the next day all the members of the groom's family are formally introduced to the bride. The veil is also significant as it is the part which is tied to the groom's shawl for the ritual of gathbandhan , tying the knot which symbolises the sacred union of the couple. In the Hindu tradition and many other traditions in India, the groom also wears a floral veil or a headdress that is tied around the grooms head by his sister after being taken around to all the members to be blessed.
- The Jewish tradition: The ritual of veiling of the bride or bedeken is central to the Jewish matrimonial ceremony. Before the chuppah ceremony, the groom escorted by his father brings down the veil on face of his bride. This action recalls Rebeccah's covering her face with her veil upon seeing Isaac before marriage. The covering of the face symbolises the modesty, dignity and chastity which characterise the virtue of Jewish womanhood.
- The Roman Catholic Tradition: In the Roman Catholic tradition, the father lifts the veil of his daughter before he gives away the bride. The white veil on the face of the bride is symbol of chastity and purity. In some places this veil is replaced with a wreath of flowers especially in non-traditional or outdoor setups. The tradition of the veil stems from the Greek and Roman matrimonial traditions where brides would be veiled in bright yellow or bright red (which represented fire) veils to ward off the evil eye.
It is not only the emotion of love behind marriage or the social sanction of the act but also the matrimonial traditions and rituals that unify diverse cultures. It is but natural that since the aim of the ceremony is the union of two souls the beliefs that the rituals spring from coincide. After all, there is not much left to wish the couple beyond complete happiness and God's blessings.
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Fatema Kagalwala
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