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"ON THE THIRD DAY THERE WAS A WEDDING IN CANA
OF GALILEE,
AND THE MOTHER OF JESUS WAS THERE. JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES
HAD ALSO BEEN INVITED TO THE WEDDING."
JOHN 2
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It was on Tuesday in Cana of Galilee that
Jesus made the first of his miraculous signs
when he turned water into wine. Jesus,
his mother and the disciples had come from
the village of Nazareth, less than five
miles away, to attend a wedding in Cana.
Jewish weddings in Israel to this very day
are commonly celebrated on Tuesday.
The reason is simple and based upon the
creation story in the first chapter of
Genesis. On the third day the Lord
created dry ground which he called “land”
and gathered the waters under the heavens
into places he called “seas.” He saw that it
was good. |
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Furthermore on the third day, the Almighty
created vegetation, seed-bearing plants and
fruit trees. And again, he saw that it
was good. Tuesday, then, was the day
which received a “double blessing.”
Therefore popular belief has it that a bride
and groom are doubly blessed if they marry
on “the third day!”
Nowadays at Jewish weddings, friends escort
the groom with lighted candles. It’s said
that this custom derives from the time of
the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount
Sinai, “And on the morning of the third day,
there were voices and lightning and a thick
cloud on the mountain.” (Exodus 19:15)
The candles are a reminder of the lightning
that appeared when Israel (the bride)
accepted the Almighty (the bridegroom). |
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Photo:
Gila Yudkin |
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Church of the Miracle of
the Wedding in Cana of Galilee |
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According to a parable in the Gospel of
Matthew, bridesmaids in the time of Jesus
would escort the bridegroom to the marriage
ceremony with lighted candles. Jesus
said, “The kingdom of heaven be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their lamps and went
forth to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew
25:1) Light in the Roman period
symbolized purity. |
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According to “Daily
Life at the time of Jesus,” when
all the family and neighbors were gathered
in the courtyard, a gala meal would begin.
Before the meal, however, guests would
ritually purify themselves by washing their
hands. This custom is reflected in
John 2:6, “Nearby stood six stone water
jars, the kind used by the Jews for
ceremonial washing.” Then the wine
would flow freely, as we know from John
chapter 2. During the festive meal,
poetry would be read and songs sung far into
the night. During the renovations
celebrating the year 2000, the Wedding
Church in Cana added to its premises a large
lovely courtyard decorated with flowers and
trees and clay jars. (The jars should be
stone of course, according to John’s Gospel,
but never mind!) It’s the perfect
enchanted atmosphere to host a |
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rededication of marriage vows. |
Photo:
Gila Yudkin |
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Courtyard of the wedding
church |
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On a 2007 pilgrimage with 78 Americans of
Vietnamese descent, I witnessed sixteen
couples who renewed their wedding vows in
Cana. One couple, colorfully dressed
in their traditional floral wedding robes to
mark their fiftieth wedding anniversary, was
particularly memorable. When the
priest asked them to face each other and to
reiterate their wedding vows, they looked
wide-eyed at each other, giggling like a
couple of teenagers. This touched off
a cascade of giggles throughout the
courtyard. It was truly a charmed moment. |
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Photo:
Gila Yudkin |
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Couple renewing marriage
vows on their golden anniversary at the Cana
Church |
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After the ceremony, I asked Father Francesco
who is now responsible for the church,
whether Protestants, as well as Catholics,
were welcome to use the courtyard to renew
marriage vows and he responded most
positively. I’d be happy to help you
include a ceremony renewing wedding vows on
your next group pilgrimage if I am
your guide. It’s a whole
lot of fun for everyone, even us single
women!!! |
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Gila
Yudkin has been guiding pilgrims
around the Holy Land for the past 40 years.
She loves tours that are fun, funky,
reverent and memorable. |
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Copyright
2012 by Gila Yudkin |
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Map of Galilee in Jesus'
day, showing location of "traditional" site
of Cana |
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Not married yet??
But thinking of proposing
during your upcoming Holy Land pilgrimage?
See Ask Gila
where is the best place to
propose during my Holy Land
pilgrimage.... |
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It wasn’t a coincidence that it was in Cana
of Galilee that Jesus turned the six stone
vats of water into wine. Throughout the
district of Galilee, Dionysus the Greek god
of wine, fun and pleasure was the undisputed
king of the pagans. See “Let’s
consider whether Jesus visited Sepphoris”
for Gila's spin on the exquisite mosaic
dedicated to Dionysus. |
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More
on the life of Jesus: |
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Mary meets Elizabeth |
Public ministry at Mt
Arbel |
Hypocrites at Sepphoris |
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1st c AD road at
Bethsaida |
Model of Jesus'
Jerusalem |
Epiphany / River Jordan |
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Copyright 2007, 2012 Gila Yudkin.
Permission needed for any reuse. |
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GILA
YUDKIN
•
TCHERNIKOVSKI
64A
•
JERUSALEM
•
ISRAEL
gila@itsgila.com
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