Lyla Dejesus
The tradition of wearing white wedding dresses is popularly associated with Queen Victoria, who wore a white silk satin and lace gown at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. However, the custom of brides wearing white has been observed in Jewish weddings for centuries, with some sources claiming that it was a tradition in the Egyptian Jewish community. While the colour white is often associated with purity and virginity, in Jewish weddings, it symbolises spiritual purity and the renewal of love.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour of the wedding dress | White was popularised by Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century, but it is believed that the tradition of wearing white at Jewish weddings predates this by at least 500 years. |
| Reason for wearing white | Symbol of purity and innocence, reminder of eventual death and a good omen that the couple will remain together until death. |
| Alternative colours | Red, blue, purple, green, silver, and gold. |
| Fabrics | Silk, satin, velvet, tinsel embroidery, lace, and brocade. |
| Accessories | Crowns, veil, headdress, and jewellery (e.g. gold coins). |
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What You'll Learn
- Jewish brides in India wore saris
- Jewish brides in Yemen wore gold brocade coatdresses with red silk trousers
- Jewish brides in Baghdad wore dresses with Tree of Life embroidery
- Jewish brides in Morocco wore white, red, gold, and other heavily embroidered colours
- Jewish brides in Tunisia wore baggy trousers
Jewish brides in India wore saris
The tradition of wearing a white wedding dress is often credited to Queen Victoria, who wore a white silk satin and lace dress for her wedding to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. This tradition, however, is believed to have existed in Jewish communities centuries before Queen Victoria's wedding. Rabbi Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen, who lived through the expulsion of Jews from France in 1306, mentions in his work Orchot Chaim that it was customary for both the bride and groom to wear white. Similarly, Rabbi David ibn Zimra, also known as the Radbaz, cites an ancient custom within the Egyptian Jewish community for the couple to wear white at their wedding.
In Jewish communities worldwide, the influence of Queen Victoria's wedding dress was observed, and the image of the bride dressed in white became prevalent, replacing multicoloured bridal gowns. Brides of the Bene Israel, a historic community of Jews in India, traditionally married in saris, which are the accepted everyday and festive wear for all Indian women. The sari played a significant role in the various wedding-related events, especially the malida (a ceremony specific to the Bene Israel), the henna ceremony, the marriage ceremony, and the bride's parting from her parents.
Initially, green saris were worn during the henna ceremony, while red saris were traditionally worn as wedding saris. However, under European influence, the traditional red wedding sari was replaced by white ones. The choice of fabric for Indian brides has expanded over time, and today, they have a range of options, including silk, lycra, organza, khadi, chiffon, linen, lace, velvet, brocade, crêpe, Georgette, tissue, cotton, and satin.
While the white wedding dress became a widespread symbol of purity and innocence, some Jewish brides continue to incorporate other colours and cultural elements into their wedding attire. For instance, a Moroccan Jewish bride's postcard depicted a blend of white, red, gold coins, and heavy embroidery. Similarly, Deepika, a South Indian bride, wore a Kanjeevaram silk sari in red and golden hues, while another South Indian bride wore a white and red silk sari with heavy temple jewellery.
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Jewish brides in Yemen wore gold brocade coatdresses with red silk trousers
Jewish brides in Yemen wore a range of colourful and elaborate outfits, differing from region to region. In the capital city of San'a, the bride's dress glittered in hues of gold and silver, as well as red, symbolising her fertility. The front of the upper dress had a long slit, around which many silver decorations were sewn, as well as gold-plated chains and elaborate silver and gold embroidery. The bride wore leggings embroidered with gold and silver threads and red silk in the form of stars and diamonds, and an embroidered coat made of golden brocade material. The coatdress was decorated with silver buttons.
The bride's head-covering was a pointed black cloth cap, which covered her forehead and came down over her neck and shoulders, as a woman's hair was not to be seen for reasons of modesty. The hat was made of an expensive gold brocade material, embroidered with threads of braided silver and colourful silk, and adorned with red stones, beads, silver chains, a pearl chain, and silver pieces of varying sizes. Gold and silver droplets in the shape of grains were sewn above the forehead as a symbol of nature's fertility and hoped-for plenty, and also of the Yemenite woman's everyday task of grinding grain into flour and baking bread.
The bride wore a large scarf of brocade and green silk, decorated with gold embroidery, which was spread over the cap. She wore many pieces of jewellery, including gold-plated silver bracelets and different kinds of silver and gold rings, some of which had inlays of precious stones. The expensive, heavy pendant on her neck was composed of numerous chains, collected at the two ends by triangular golden plates that often had stone inlays; the triangle, too, symbolized the woman's fertility. Special shoes were placed on her feet, and she was sprayed with a typical Yemenite perfume. The bride's eyes were made up with a blue material, both to protect them from infection and to prevent the evil eye from sabotaging her fertility.
The San'ai outfit had a number of components, each with its own name and symbolic meaning. The large triangular headdress, the tishbuk lulu, was traditionally assembled for each bride individually (while today it is one rented piece), comprising silk ribbons embroidered with pearls, coral, and agate; pieces of silver filigree jewellery (a specialty of Yemenite Jewry) and amulets, gold coins, floral garlands, and sprigs of rue (shadhab) and basil (reihan), aromatic plants also seen as having protective qualities.
The outfit also included a large floral print silk scarf (wardiyye) covered the back of her headdress, and numerous necklaces framed her chin, neck, and chest. She wore a woven brocade dress (jallayeh) with wide sleeves, and underneath it, special embroidered leggings which were unique to the Jewish community. The traditional henna patterns for Yemenite brides were related to the motifs of her embroidery.
Regarding the broader topic of ancient Hebrew bridal wear, there is some debate about the colour of the wedding dresses worn by Jewish brides in ancient times. While some sources claim that the tradition of wearing a white wedding dress was popularised by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, others argue that the tradition of wearing white at Jewish weddings predates this by at least 500 years. Before the 19th century, Western European brides and their Eastern and Middle Eastern counterparts wore many different colours, often red.
Jewish brides in India wore red wedding saris, which were replaced by white ones under European influence. Similarly, brides in Tunisia wore baggy trousers, which were influenced by wedding dresses from Western Europe. In Baghdad, brides wore henna dresses and wedding dresses made of silk satin or velvet, with tinsel embroidery.
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Jewish brides in Baghdad wore dresses with Tree of Life embroidery
The tradition of brides wearing white wedding dresses is commonly associated with Queen Victoria, who wore a white silk satin and lace dress for her wedding to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. This tradition, however, predates Queen Victoria and has been a part of Jewish wedding customs for centuries.
In Jewish communities worldwide, brides have historically worn a variety of colours, with red being a prominent choice in Western Europe and the Middle East until the 1800s. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem showcases a unique late 19th-century wedding dress from Baghdad, providing insight into the fashion of Jewish brides in that region.
Jewish brides in Baghdad, including those from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths, wore dresses adorned with intricate embroidery featuring traditional motifs. Among these motifs was the Tree of Life, a symbol that held cultural and symbolic significance. This embroidery was not limited to wedding dresses but also featured on dowry items, such as jackets and other garments.
The Baghdad wedding dress, now displayed in the Israel Museum, is crafted from satin silk and embellished with tinsel embroidery. It showcases traditional motifs beyond the Tree of Life, including birds and hamsa patterns. This dress, dating back to the 1930s, was created by Farha Kirma and her father, who crafted it from hand-spun raw silk.
While the white wedding dress became popularised by Queen Victoria, it is important to note that Jewish brides have traditionally worn white in their wedding ceremonies, as mentioned by Rabbi Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen and Rabbi David ibn Zimra, the Radbaz. This tradition is rooted in the notion of purity and innocence, with white symbolizing an "unsullied heart" offered to the chosen partner.
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Jewish brides in Morocco wore white, red, gold, and other heavily embroidered colours
Jewish brides in Morocco wore a range of colours, including white, red, and gold, with heavy embroidery. In fact, until the 1800s, brides in Western Europe, as well as the Middle East, often wore red. However, as Western influence spread globally in the 19th century, the white wedding dress became the standard for brides across cultures.
The tradition of wearing white is often attributed to Queen Victoria, who wore a white silk satin and lace gown when she married in 1840. The fashion magazine Godey's Lady's Book described white as "the most fitting hue... it is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood". However, some Jewish sources claim that the custom of wearing white at weddings predates Queen Victoria by at least 500 years. Rabbi Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen, who lived through the expulsion of Jews from France in 1306, wrote in his famous work Orchot Chaim that it was customary for both the bride and groom to wear white. Rabbi David ibn Zimra, known as the Radbaz (b. 1479), also cited an "ancient custom" within the Egyptian Jewish community for the couple to wear white.
Jewish brides in Morocco traditionally wore a "Great Dress" or "El Gran Dress", which was a rich and elaborate costume similar to those worn by Spanish queens. It consisted of a long, full wrap-around skirt called a zeltite, made of scarlet-red or brownish silk velvet and heavily embroidered with gold thread and sometimes semi-precious stones. This was worn under several silk petticoats and a matching velvet bodice, or gombazh, also decorated with embroidery and seven silver buttons.
Today, Moroccan brides continue to wear heavily embroidered outfits in various colours, including white, red, and gold. During the ceremony, the bride typically wears a traditional white takchita, symbolizing purity. She then changes into a sahraouia, a dress wrapped around the body as a tribute to the Moroccan Sahara region. Finally, she ends the evening in a mejdoub, a gold and embroidered caftan.
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Jewish brides in Tunisia wore baggy trousers
The history of the Jews in Tunisia dates back nearly two thousand years to the Punic era. The Jewish community of Tunisia grew following successive waves of immigration and proselytism. The community developed its own dialect of Arabic, Judeo-Tunisian Arabic, though its use has declined due to the community's relocation from Tunisia. The arrival of Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula also greatly influenced the community's composition, inter-group relations, and customs.
The tradition of wearing white wedding dresses is often credited to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, who wore a white silk satin and lace dress for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. However, the custom of wearing white at Jewish weddings predates Queen Victoria. Rabbi Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen, who lived through the expulsion of the Jews from France in 1306, writes in his work Orchot Chaim that it was customary for both the bride and groom to wear white. Rabbi David ibn Zimra, known as the Radbaz, also cites an "ancient custom" within the Egyptian Jewish community for the bride and groom to wear white.
Some Jewish brides continue to wear white, while others opt for off-white or cream-colored dresses to distinguish themselves from non-Jewish brides, as the color white has become associated with non-Jewish weddings due to Queen Victoria's influence. Additionally, some Jewish brides incorporate other colors and cultural elements into their wedding attire. For example, a Moroccan Jewish bride may wear a dress with white, red, gold coins, and other heavily embroidered colors. Indian Jewish brides may wear traditional Indian wedding saris, which are often red but have been influenced by European traditions and adopted white saris.
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Frequently asked questions
Hebrew brides have worn white wedding dresses for centuries, though it is unclear exactly when this tradition began.
Hebrew brides wear white to symbolise spiritual purity. The colour is also said to represent the bride's virginity and purity.
Hebrew wedding dresses were made from a variety of materials, including silk, satin, lace, velvet, tinsel thread, and brocade.
Non-Hebrew brides wore a variety of colours, including red, purple, yellow, and pink.
