The largest feast in Jesus time was the wedding feast which could last a week.
A wedding was more of a civil affair than a religious ceremony. The local rabbi did not conduct the ceremony. Usually that fell to the groom’s father or elder male.
A wedding was based on fulfilling a contract. A wedding covenant was created between both bride and bridegroom and two families. The covenant considered issues such as the “Bride price” and dowry. The bride was very similar to that or property – the groom paid for her and took possession of her from father. A woman was close to slave except she right to keep property and have possessions. The covenant spelled out how much money or property would be paid to bride’s family and what size dowry she would bring. The covenant required he provide for a funeral when she died and detailed the money owed to bride in case of divorce or husband’s early death.
Women were young when they entered into marriage -early to mid teens where husband middle 20s. It was important for women to be young to have many children since more often than children died early
Marriage started with betrothal up to a year before the marriage to negotiate the contract. The bridegroom and his father met with father of bridge over the price. After negotiations succeeded the future bride came into the room and bride groom asked for her hand and he presented a ring and they celebrated with wine. The betrothal was a legally binding relationship.
Between the betrothal and wedding bridgegroom gave variety of gifts to her family, some of which become art of dowry. Others were kept by the family to signify the groom’s commitment to marriage. Grooms also gave money for the betrothal feast – a formal announcement of the engagement attended only by women except the groom was present and recited the groom’s blessing.
Also in this time, the groom would build several rooms to his house. The groom’s father had to inspect and approved. Many sons actually were building these rooms to his family house since many moved in there and the bride became part of the family. The groom’s mother would have to become young bride’s mother. Wives made bread, prepared meals, washed clothes and tended house. However, she also helped the husband with crops in the fields fields. In Jesus time, women travelled with him which would have been radical and tended to raise the status of women.
Finally the wedding day came. On the night before, there was a wedding procession through town. The groom and his friends would walk with musicians, blow rams horns and create quite a bit of noise. The bride joined by her brides maids met the procession. She was seated on the littter. The destination was the bridegoom’s home, the site of the wedding and feast.
The wedding was done privately, He spread a cloak over her to represent taking possession and was called the Cuppah. The rabbi not participate in marrying them. A bleassing done by bridegroom father or elder male. After that, they retired to their wedding chamber for 7 days.
Meanwhile the wedding feast began and also lasted a week. Two essentials were wine and cake. A famous wedding scene in the Bible is that which occured at Cana where the wine was depleted. Jesus called for six stone jars and wine was created from water. This would have created between 120-180 gallons of wines or from between 600 to 900 modern bottles.
The wedding cakes were made from wheat and barley. The cake was broken over bride’s head as a symbol of fertiliaty. Cakes were stacked and bridge and groom had to kiss each other over the tower of cakes without knocking them over. If successful, there was a lifetime properity. Often they took cakes to local temple or shrine and sacrificed them.
There was also abundant meats including whole cattle and fatted lambs. During the day they ate lighter foods, bread dips, cucumber salads, dried fruits and cheese. Women ate separately from men. Food was served first, then wine.
The Bible pictures the wedding as a metaphor between Christ and church. The procession was a symbol of preparing and waiting for kingdom of God. The feast itself was symbol of existence of God end of time.