Breaking Glass
At the end of the Jewish wedding ceremony, it is customary for the chatan (groom) to break a glass by stomping on it, in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Others explain that this is the last time the groom gets to put his foot down. The sound of breaking glass is quickly followed by shouts of Mazel Tov, and the kallah and chatan (bride and groom) leave the chuppah together. In your grandmother’s day, the shards were just thrown away. But now a new custom has developed. Save the shards and put them on display, in a mezuzah, a spice box, a heart shaped plaque, a Chanukkah menorah.
At Dayenu, we have several choices of breaking glasses:
And many ways to display the shards later:
