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Something Old and Something New: Illustrating Spousal Ceremonies in "Religious Ceremonies of the Known World"

German Jews

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German and Portuguese Jewish Weddings Bernard and Picart begin their seven-volume tome with Judaism. To them, Judaism was most strictly a religion, and they spent little time thinking of Jews as part of a wider community or as a cultural group. Thus, the weddings of Jewish people are split into “Portuguese” and “German,” with only slight differences between the two. These two engravings are a fantastic place to begin understanding spousal ceremonies in Religious Ceremonies of the Known World because of their attention to detail, use of outside sources, and tolerant portrayal of a religion other than Protestant Christianity. They relied mostly on Leon of Modena, a fifteenth century Jewish writer, as a primary source, but several other writers make an appearance as well. One problem throughout Religious Ceremonies that is especially apparent here is the confusion of which marriage traditions happened where, because of course, setting, class, and geography had lots of sway over traditional wedding ceremonies, just as religion did. Bernard himself seemed to have trouble understanding where certain traditions existed, and where they did not. Wherever possible, I have tried to specify the region he or research claims as the place most likely to have executed a specific tradition.

Before the description of the marriage ceremony, Bernard devotes several pages to the betrothal and pre-marital ceremonies of the Jewish people. After the engagement—made in the presence of witnesses and involving an engagement ring for the potential bride—the bride and groom both sign a marriage contract, “whereby the bridegroom promises to give her a sum of money,” which can only be gathered upon his death. Bernard is probably describing the ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract, some aspects of which are still used today. The Wedding takes place on either Wednesdays or Fridays, “Thursdays for widows.” Here are some of the important traditions Bernard includes and Picart illustrates:

The Glass: The groom appears ready to smash a glass cup on a platter in Picart’s illustration. Bernard writes, “The glass broken by the bridegroom, who throws it on the ground… represents the ruin of Jerusalem; but it is thought, and with greater foundation, that these two actions represent the frailty of life, and the little solidity there is in riches.” This tradition, usually accompanied with the witnesses yelling Mazel Tov (Hebrew for “Congratulations”), still continues today, and debates are still out on the exact meaning of the broken glass.

The Veil/Canopy: The bride’s veil, shown differently in the engravings of Portugese and German Jewish ceremonies, was a significant piece to the bride’s outfit. According to Bernard, “modesty must not allow her to look her intended husband in the face, herein imitating the chaste Rebecca, who, not being able to bear Isaac’s looks, covered her face.” The German couple, meanwhile, both wear the same large veil or canopy, “to signify that conjugal society.” Bernard and Picart may have been confused by the idea of a canopy covering the bride and groom—the chuppah, a large hanging canopy, was also in use during this time. Bernard also considers the writings of Johannes Buxtorf, a “Hebraist” who noted how at some Jewish weddings “the Rabbi pulls the groom’s Taled (meaning unclear) over the bride’s head, in imitation of Boaz, who threw the skirts of his robe over Ruth.” While several Jewish sources called for the groom to place the veil on the bride, Bernard writes that other women close to the bride should secure the veil.

The Wine: In the bottom right-hand corner of the Portuguese wedding engraving, a young man appears to be pouring a drink. This may be the wine drunk by the bride and groom during the ceremony, first while the Rabbi says the benediction, and second after the exchange of rings, when “they both drink a little, throwing the rest on the ground.”

The Godmothers: Bernard writes several times of “godmothers,” older women who help dress the bride and sit with her during the ceremony. Picart includes these women in his engraving flanking the bride in the Portuguese Jewish wedding. It is unclear whether this may be some type of translation error or if Bernard may have been confused—godparents are a traditional Christian, rather than Jewish, aspect of life. Perhaps “godmothers” was meant to indicate some special older relatives or even the bride’s mother and mother-in-law.

After the ceremony, “poultry of some kind is served up at the wedding entertainment, which is sanctified by seven benedictions.” Bernard also mentions the significance of presenting the bride with a hen, “together with an egg,” to symbolize fertility. This appears to be a custom mostly in Western Russia. The wedding ends when the bride and groom leave.