The Jewish & Japan wedding ceremony

Jewish Wedding Ceremony 

The traditional Jewish marriage is called Kiddushin. The first step in the marriage is the shidduch or matchmaking. A close friend or relative of the man or woman who is about to get married is actually the one who does the choosing of the potential partner. The friend or relative does this because they might know someone who is compatible.  The meeting discusses important issues of the marriage but also makes sure that the future bride or groom would be compatible. After the meeting, if it’s a match then the future bride and groom do not see each other for a week.  The first thing done at the recepetion is the signing of the marriage contract, which is the Ketuvah. Two relatives of the groom witness it.  After the signing of the contract, the groom along with his father and father in law go to another room to see the bride.  She sits on a chair waiting to be veiled by the groom.  The next step is the chuppah which is a canopy that is usually outside.  The bride and groom are taken there by their parents.  Under the chuppah, a Rabi says his blessing over wine and the groom takes a gold ring and places it on her finger.  Next is the sheva brachos or seven blessings recited by the rabi. The bride and groom drink wine and afterwards the groom breaks the glass by stamping on it yelling, “Mazaltov!” The couple then go to the cheder yichud or privacy room to eat and relax.
     The Jewish and Japan wedding ceremonies have a few similarities.  They both value going through the process of setting up a meeting for a bride or groom to meet their potential partner.  At the same time they also value personality because the bride and groom do not see each other for a week and it's not only about physical attraction.  I believe jewish couples value the start of a clean state because the breaking of the glass is one of the most symbolic features of the ceremony. It not only means they are leaving difficult times in the past but also accept that there could be difficult times in the future. 

    

Japan Wedding Ceremony

In the Japan culture, betrothal often takes place “in the infancy or childhood of the parties.” However once the child is grown up he has more say unless his parents are still alive.  With the passing of parents, the grown man or woman might ask the help of friends or acquaintances and send them to ask for the hand of the woman.  If the parents agree, they will meet up at a tea house but cannot have a conversation with each other.  The bridegroom sends presents to the parents of the bride waiting until the ceremony is fixed. The bride also prepares presents for the parents and relatives of the bridegroom.  On the night of the nuptials, the bride emerges covered in head to toe white with a cap made of floss silk.  She goes to the bridegrooms house where she rests in a separate room.  The bride and the bridegroom then go on to the best room where they sit down and have some sake. The couple then takes part in the ceremony san san kudo, which formally marries them.  They each take 3 sips out of 3 lacquered cups for a total of 9 sips. They are now officially married! 
Even though, the Jewish and Japanese share the similarity of having meetings to meet potential partners, it is very rare nowadays for the Japanese to do it. The Japanese tend to value the whole family and want them to also partake in a way in the ceremony. They still have the world view of conformity and blending two families together.  I think for them it's important to better adapt to fit the whole needs of the family instead of just themselves.