History & Life: A Wedding On Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Lithuanian Jews.

A marriage on trial (Egypt)

The wedding procession of the 12-year old tamit moves joyfully through the streets of Thebes. Resplendent in a sparkling white dress and matching shawl. Tamit shyly acknowledges the good wishes of her smiling friends and relations. She is on her way from her father's home to that of her bridegroom, Amenhotep, to whom she now gives her allegiance. She takes with her all her worldly goods such as ornaments, clothing, mirrors and jewelry . There has been no formal marriage ceremony. No rings have been exchanged, Tamit has not changed her name to show her new status, and the dress she is wearing was not specially made for the wedding.

Like all marriages in Egypt in the 15th century BC, Tamit's is a trial marriage. It can be ended by either party at any time- especially if she fails to become pregnant and provide Amenhotep with a son. On the other hand, she can divorce him on grounds such as cruelty or habitual drunkenness. All she has to do is return to her family home- taking her possessions and a third of everything that Amenhotep owns.

If all goes well Tamit will honor and obey her husband. And if one of them should die before the other, the bereaved person will be free to remarry. However, some devoted spouses prefer to wait alone to be reunited with their partners in the afterlife

The Blessing
Using a jug of holy water, a priest blesses a newly married couple in Thebes. The bride is a true-born Egyptian, but the groom, named Semufer, is from the southern realm of Nubia, which sporadically fell under Egyptian control.

His and Hers
A servant offers refreshments to an Egyptian bride and groom at their marriage feast. To show his goodwill, the groom has given his bride a token sum of money. In turn, her father provides the young couple with furniture- and enough grain to last for seven years.

Toys for the gods (Greek)

On the evening before her wedding, 13-year old Melissa takes her toys- including dolls, tops and a hobby horse- to a shrine devoted to Artemis, the ancient Greek goddess of childbirth and changing stages of life. She dedicates her childish playthings to the goddess, and offers up a clay figure of a grown woman making bread. This marks the end of Melisa's childhood, and the beginning of her new life as a loyal wife and devoted homemaker.

Red lips and white cheeks

The next morning, Melissa, the only daughter of a well-to-do Athenian merchant in the 5th century BC, bathes in water specially brought by slaves from a fountain of purification. Attended by a team of slaves, she then spends hours being groomed and made up for the great occasion.

From an exquisitely carved toilet box- a wedding gift from her mother- she uses ochre to redden her lips, and chalk to lighten her complexion. She puts on leather sandals and an ankle-length yellow linen dress. She fastens the dress at the shoulder with a brooch, and gathers it with a belt so that it folds gracefully across her body.

Forsaking her youthful loose ringlets, Melissa piles her long hair on top of her head as befits a future wife and mother, and secures her new coiffure with pins and a headband. As a final touch, she puts on pendant earrings, a necklace and silver bracelets.

A dedication at the altar

As darkness descends, bridegroom, a 31-year old winegrower and dealer named Antinous, arrives at Melissa's home to claim the bride. After a solemn and tearful ceremony in which her father hands her over to her husband. Melissa climbs into a mule-drawn cart to be driven to her new home.
On reaching Antinou's house, Melissa is greeted by her mother-in-law, who carries a blazing touch with which she ceremoniously lights the newlyweds over the threshold. The rest of the day is spent in feasting and drinking with close relatives in the homes of both sets of parents. Tomorrow, friends will arrive with presents for the newlyweds.

Homecoming
On arriving at her new home, a bride is greeted by a musician playing a reed pipe. Once inside, she is led by her mother-in-law to the hearth, where they both kneel and are showered by close relatives with fruits, nuts and grains- symbols of prosperity and good fortune.

Gift-Bringing
On the day after the wedding, friends of the newly married couple arrive at their house bearing wedding presents such as a delicate, long-necked vase. By following tradition, the bride and groom ensure that their life together gets off to an anspicious start.

Carriage Across the City
As is customary among the rich of Athens, an open carriage drawn by two handsome horses transports a bride across the city at night-time to the brand-new house she will share with her husband. Escorted by faithful servants and watched over by Eros, the Greek god of love, she will come to no harm.

The Seven Blessings (Lithuania)

It's Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath, and a wedding is taking place in Kaunas, in Lithuania one of the many shtetls, or small towns, scattered throughout eastern Europe in the 19th century. The bride and groom, Ruth and David, walk together through the cobbled streets to the wooden synagogue in the center of the ramshackle town. There they stand side by side beneath the traditional chuppah, or canopy, which symbolizes their future home, prosperity and happiness.

Gladness and good fellowship

The rabbi gives them a glass of wine to share, and thanks God for having brought the couple together. He then reads out the marriage contract which unites them as man and wife. David places a plain gold ring on the first finger of Ruth's left hand. He announces to the assembled relatives and friends that she is now his wife. Next he moves the ring to Ruth's third finger, and the rabbi intones the Seven Blessings- which praise God and thank Him for creating happiness and gladness, bridegroom and bride love, brotherhood, peace and good fellowship.

Binding Beauty
Ornate ketuboth- Jewish marriage contracts- record two marriages of the 18th century. They were written in Aramaic, the ancient language of the Jews, and were among married couples' most treasured possessions.

The rabbi hands David a small empty glass, which he breaks underfoot as a reminder of the destruction in Jerusalem of the First Temple in 586 BC by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar II, and of that of the Second Temple, by the Roman Emperor Titus in AD 70. This act demonstrates that there is no joy in the world without suffering. The congregation shouts 'Congratulations!' The newlyweds and the rest of the wedding party then proceed to David's house, where the celebrations last until nightfall.

Joined Together
A young couple listen dutifully as a rabbi, his finger raised in emphasis- solemnly intones the duties and responsibilities expected of a Jewish man and wife. As the wedding is held outdoors, a prayer-shawl covers the couple's heads in place of the traditional canopy found in a synagogue. They are dressed according to tradition: a black suit, hat and white waistcoat for the groom; a white wedding dress with a blue velvet bodice, and a lace veil for the bride, Beside her, in another splendid dress, is her mother.

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