Chuppah

A traditional chuppah, especially in Orthodox Judaism, recommends that there be open sky exactly above the chuppah, although this is not mandatory among Sephardic communities. If the wedding ceremony is held indoors in a hall, sometimes a special opening is built to be opened during the ceremony. Many Hasidim prefer to conduct the entire ceremony outdoors. It is said that the couple's ancestors are present at the chuppah ceremony. In Yemenite communities, the practice was not for the groom and his bride to stand under a canopy (chuppah) hung on four poles, as is widely practised today in Jewish weddings, but rather to be secluded in a bridal chamber that was, in effect, a highly decorated room in the house of the groom, known as the chuppah (see Yichud). == History and legal aspects ==

The word chuppah appears in the Hebrew Bible, for example in Joel 2:16 and Psalms 19:5. Abraham P. Bloch states that the connection between the term chuppah and the wedding ceremony "can be traced to the Bible"; however, "the physical appearance of the chuppah and its religious significance have undergone many changes since then". Alfred J. Kolatch notes that it was during the Middle Ages that the "chupa ... in use today" became customary. Daniel Sperber notes that for many communities before the 16th century, the huppah consisted of a veil worn by the bride. In others, it was a cloth spread over the shoulders of the bride and groom. In Talmudic times, the room where the marriage was consummated was called the chuppah. The canopy "created the semblance of a room". This chuppah ceremony is connected to the seven blessings which are recited over a cup of wine after the ceremony (birchat nisuin or sheva brachot). == Symbolism ==

The chuppah represents a Jewish home symbolized by the cloth canopy and the four poles. Just as a chuppah is open on all four sides, so was the tent of Abraham open for hospitality. Thus, the chuppah represents hospitality to one's guests. This "home" initially lacks furniture as a reminder that the basis of a Jewish home is the people within it, not the possessions. In a spiritual sense, the covering of the chuppah represents the presence of God over the covenant of marriage. As the kippah served as a reminder of the Creator above all, (also a symbol of separation from God), so the chuppah was erected to signify that the ceremony and institution of marriage has divine origins. scroll on a painted wimpel from the Lengnau collection, 1886, in the Jewish Museum of Switzerland The symbol of the chuppah is often painted or embroidered onto wimpels after a boy’s Brit Milah ceremony. Here, the chuppah is a reference to a wish for the boy’s life to be under the guidance of God and for him to have a traditional marriage and family (also expressed in a blessing). In Ashkenazic communities, before going under the chuppah the groom covers the bride's face with a veil, known as the badeken (in Yiddish) or hinuma (in Hebrew). The origin of this tradition and its original purpose are in dispute. There are opinions that the chuppah means "covering the bride's face", hence covering the couple to be married. Others suggest that the purpose was for others to witness the act of covering, formalizing the family's home in a community, as it is a public part of the wedding. In Sephardic communities, this custom is not practiced. Instead, underneath the chuppah, the couple is wrapped together underneath a tallit, which is a fringed garment. The groom enters the chuppah first to represent his ownership of the home on behalf of the couple. When the bride then enters the chuppah it is as though the groom is providing her with shelter or clothing, and he thus publicly demonstrates his new responsibilities toward her. == Modern trends ==

A chuppah can be made of any material. A tallit or embroidered velvet cloth are commonly used. Silk or quilted chuppot are increasingly common, and can often be customized or personalized to suit the couple's unique interests and occupations. == See also ==