Wedding Rituals 

Historically

Typically prior to the ceremony, the bride and groom of Orthodox Jewish weddings will not see one another for a long period of time, sometimes a week. 

Just before the celebration would be a reception for each of the soon to be married couple with members of the same gender. The bride's reception is known as the bedeken and the groom's reception is the tish. This is where the bride and groom will seperately recieve guests until the ceremony is ready to begin. Then, the groom participates in veiling the bride before  standing beneath the canopy to wait for his bride.

In Fiddler on the Roof

Although this portion of the wedding is not shown in the musical, it is important to remember this is the process that the bride, groom, family and guests have gone through so far in the day.

Motel and Tzeitel in particular as bride and groom will have not seen one another for a week prior to the ceremony.

Historically

The Wedding Canopy is any item of fabric with four corners supported above the ceremony. This can be simple fabric or elaborate, but it must remain open to the community on all sides.  If it is not stationary, the canopy can be put on poles and held by four guests. This canopy represents the future home for the bride and groom together. It must remain open to symbolize the home being open to the Jewish community.

One additional rule for the canopy is that the bride and groom are not allowed to wear jewelry underneath as marriage is not about material wealth.

In Fiddler on the Roof

As the families of the bride and groom are both poor, the canopy will not be elaborate or permenent. The canopy will be the kind where community members will hold it above the couple. 

During "Sunrise, Sunset" the bride will arrive under the canopy and the wedding will proceed beneath.

Historically

The bride traditionally walks around the groom with her mother seven times before the ceremony begins in ernest. This part of the tradition represents building the walls of the marriage around the groom.

In Fiddler on the Roof

At the beginning of the song "Sunrise, Sunset" the community of Anatevka will gather around the canopy with the groom as they wait for the bride to arrive with her parents. Golde will bring Tzeitel to the canopy to circle the groom seven times in observation of this tradition before she joins Motel and the Rabbi.

Historically

Two wine glasses are brought to the wedding, the first drunk with the initial blessings from the rabbi and the second after the marriage contract has been signed.

In Fiddler on the Roof

Mendel will bring forward each glass of "wine" during "Sunrise, Sunset" for the ceremony. Each of the bride and groom will drink from the glasses as a part of the tradition as the crowd around watches and sings.

Historically

The ceremony ends with a smashing of the glass wrapped in cloth or napkin by the groom. This tradition represents the destruction of the temple but some traditions also say that it represents that relationships are fragile like glass. When the groom smashes the glass, the guests to the wedding will yell "Mozel tov!"

Because this is a tradition not based in Jewish law, some modern weddings include the bride also smashing a glass or the couple breaking it together.

In Fiddler on the Roof

At the very end of "Sunrise, Sunset" right before "Wedding Dance" begins, someone from the crowd will bring forward a glass wrapped in a cloth for Motel to break. Because Fiddler on the Roof takes place at a time where traditions rarely changed (and within the show have only started to be tested) Tzeitel will not participate in breaking the glass. Everyone onstage will yell "Mozel tov!"

Historically

Typically following the ceremony the bride and groom will each form circles of dancing, the bride with the women in attendance and the groom with the men. Men and women will sometimes be seperated at weddings by a divider or mehitzah.

During the reception, one traditional wedding dance is the horah. This dance involves lifting the bride and groom each on chairs within the seperate circles of men and women while the newlyweds hold a napkin or cloth to link them.

In Fiddler on the Roof

As this wedding is an Orthodox Jewish wedding, it will follow strict tradition when it comes to the seperation of genders. This designation may mean some non male identifying actors may be playing male characters in this scene and will be on the male side in alignment with this.

In many productions of Fiddler on the Roof, the horah is performed right at the beginning of "Wedding Dance" followed by dancing in seperate circles and the bottle dance.