Marriage

Author(s): Natubhai Shah
Publisher: UK Jain Academy

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The Common Cup The priest reads the Gospel of the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by Christ and in which He performed His first miracle. There He converted the water into wine and gave of it to the newlyweds. In remembrance of this blessing, a cup of wine is given to the couple from which each must drink three times. This is the 'Common Cup' of life denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony. The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life, joy as well as sorrow and that they are to bear one another's burdens'. Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared. Coming towards the end of the ceremony three beautiful and joyous hymns are chanted by the chanter or the priest. While the hymns are chanted the priest takes the bride and groom by the hand and leads them around a small table three times, the best man and maid of honour walking along them. This symbolises the first steps as a married couple and the Church, in the person of the priest, leading them in the way they must walk.
The Ceremonial Walk On this table are placed the Gospel and the Cross, the former containing the word of God and the other being the symbol of our redemption by Jesus. By circling the table, the couple signify their oath to preserve their marriage forever and it expresses the fact that Christian living is a perfect orbit around the centre of life that is our Lord Jesus. In particular the circle symbolises eternity and the number of rotation around the table honours the Holy Spirit. Finally, amid special words of blessing, the priest lifts the crowns from the heads of the newlyweds, thus ending the marriage ceremony.
The Quaker Wedding Ceremony Quakers believe in the importance of marriage and the ceremonies are much more informal than in some other traditions. The couple make their vows without a priest. When the couple decide to marry they make a formal commitment in front of God an their family and friends. They believe that only God has the power to join a couple in matrimony. As George Fox wrote in 1669: 'The right joining in marriage is the work of the Lord only, and not the priest's or magistrate's; for it is God's ordinance and not man's...we marry none; it is the Lord's work, and we are but witnesses'. Quaker weddings must be held indoors but they do not need to take place in a registered building. Many couples choose a Quaker Meeting House but others may marry at home or in
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