Category Archives: Huppah Traditions
How old is the practice of using a huppah for Jewish weddings?
Huppahs (also spelled huppas, chuppahs, or khupas) became a part of the Jewish wedding ceremony during the Middle Ages in Europe, about the same time and place that men began covering their heads with kippot (yarmulkes). The Middle Ages sounds … Continue reading
Who can hold the huppah poles?
Anyone can hold a huppah pole. That makes the role of huppah bearer, or unterferer, a great role to offer someone who you want to honor but who isn’t Jewish or isn’t comfortable reciting Hebrew during the ceremony. Of course, … Continue reading
Why does a Jewish wedding ceremony take place under a huppah?
The huppah serves as a visible representation of the home, both physical and spiritual, that the bride and groom will share as a married couple. Traditionally, the bride creates their shared spiritual space as she steps under the huppah and … Continue reading
Filed under Huppah Traditions, Huppahs, Jewish Wedding Ceremony
What Makes a Huppah a Huppah?
The huppah’s structure evokes a tent — specifically, the tent that was the home of Judaism’s first couple, Abraham and Sarah, 5,000 years ago. A huppah (also written chuppah or huppa) has a fabric canopy held aloft by four poles … Continue reading
What do you call the people who hold the huppah poles?
The conventional American term is “huppah bearers”. The classic term is unterferers, which means “supporters”.
How Old Is the Tradition of Using a Huppah?
A classic image of a bride and groom under a huppah: Die Trauung, The Wedding, by Moritz Oppenheim (1866). The huppah (also often spelled huppa or chuppah) became a part of the Jewish wedding ceremony during the Middle Ages in … Continue reading
Filed under Huppah Traditions, Huppahs, Jewish Wedding Ceremony
Huppah, Huppa, Chuppah, Khupa – Which Spelling Is Right?
All these spellings are correct, and you might even see others. The word originally comes from Hebrew, and the Hebrew alphabet has some letters and sounds that English doesn’t have. Different people substitute English letters for the Hebrew letters in … Continue reading
Filed under Huppah Traditions, Huppahs, Jewish Wedding Ceremony
