Indian Jewish Wedding

Earlier this week, we were invited to an Indian Jewish wedding.  Having only recently become aware of the still-active Jewish community in India, we didn’t know what to expect. One of our staff married last year, and we asked whether she wore a sari at her wedding.

        “Of course not, I’m a Jewish woman!” Meaning, she wore a white dress. I think it’s hard for us to internalize the fact that Indian Jews are Indian just like American Jews are American. Like us, they dress like the greater community of which they are a part, but their religious traditions are their own.

The wedding took place in a towering light blue synagogue in South Mumbai. This was a love marriage (i.e. non-arranged marriage) of a couple from the Bene Israel community, but they were borrowing this synagogue from the Baghdadi Indian community because it seats hundreds of people. We guess there were about six hundred guests in attendance. Apparently Jewish time is universal, and when you pair it up with Indian time, naturally the wedding ended up starting about an hour late.

        Basically the entire Bene Israel community was invited to this wedding. I’ve never seen so many bright, jeweled saris. Our group coined the phrase “sari-envy.” The ceremony begins with the procession of the groom down the aisle, followed by his entire family. After he stood under the chuppah, there was something of a scramble as the extended family looked for seats.

        Next, the groom sang a poem from shir hashirim about the bride’s beauty as she proceeded down the aisle, followed by her whole side of the family. Apparently the song is something the groom has to learn specifically. It’s very haunting. As she got closer to me, I could see her beaming at him through her veil.

        The rest of the ceremony included the groom chanting the sheva brachot (seven blessings traditionally recited at a Jewish wedding), both the bride and groom signing the ketubah (marriage contract), the rabbi chanting the sheva brachot again, and finally, a procession of the bride and group together around the chuppah as a couple. No seven circles though. Between each step of the ceremony, there was a break for pictures. The whole ceremony took around two hours.

        Here are some pictures, enjoy!

Note the ladies in saris to the left of the bimah, and the Hebrew embroidering on the chuppah

Groom reading the sheva brachot