The Jewish religion has been around for over 3 000 years and there are tens of thousands living in South Africa that practice Judaism. Various traditions and rituals are performed during the union of a couple, one of which is the famous breaking of the glass.

Here is the history and meaning behind this tradition:

When a Jewish couple ties the knot, they marry under a canopy called a Chuppah which must have four corners and be covered by a roof. The Chuppah is a symbol of the new home the married couple will build together.

Once the nuptials have concluded, the groom (sometimes the bride too) will step on a cloth bag that contains glass in order to break it. Everyone then shouts Mazel Tov! Which means congratulations or good luck. This is known as the ‘breaking the glass’ tradition’ and is meant to symbolise the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Temple of Jerusalem was a centre for worship in ancient Israel.  However, it was destroyed in the Siege of Jerusalem by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. The Second Temple, built soon afterward, was also destroyed.

By honouring this sad moment in Jewish history, this tradition is meant to symbolise that there is sadness in joy and that you should never forget about all the pain in the world even on the most joyous of occasions. It also represents how important it is to stand together and persevere through hard times.

Couples often collect the broken shards of glass after the ceremony and save them as a memento of their special day.

An animal shelter in South Carolina in the US live-streamed a special canine wedding between two of their pups to encourage donations and the importance of adopting dogs from shelters.

Greenville County Animal Care hosted the special day between dogs Sassy and Spero on Thursday, February 10 in honour of their new Have a Heart Heartworm Treatment Fund. Every heartworm positive dog will have their treatment covered in full through this fund, making it easier than ever to adopt a heartworm-positive dog.

According to the shelter, Sassy and Spero are both heartworm survivors and have been together since Sassy began treatment for heartworm. They walked down the aisle on Thursday and said ‘woof woof’ in their wedding finery before enjoying a special wedding cake.

Watch the sweet ceremony here:

The shelter is no stranger to doggy weddings. This has become a yearly tradition, and adopting are free during the week of the wedding.

Consider making a donation (http://bit.ly/2N4iEmR) to the Have a Heart fund in lieu of gifts for this pawsome couple.

Picture: screenshot from video

A wedding is not only a legal step a couple takes to show commitment and union, it’s also a highly personal and cultural event.

The day is a celebration of love in all cultures around the world, but each one does it a little differently and that’s what makes them special. Wedding traditions can have deep sentimental meanings, or they can just be funny customs that have withstood the test of time for years.

In Afrikaans culture, wedding traditions are largely based on Christian beliefs, a strong part of the culture. The process of getting married is very similar to the white Western wedding many South Africans know, with a few additions here and there.

As with many cultural customs, some of the traditions have fallen away along the road due to the sheer expense they incur, or some just because they are deemed old-fashioned by a new generation. Nevertheless, many couples choose to uphold some of these special traditions.

1. Who pays for what – it’s complicated 

Times are tough but if budgets allow, there is a set-out way of going about the financing of the wedding. Traditionally, the bride’s father pays for the wedding, and the groom’s father pays for the bar. This is because both fathers, if they are the breadwinners, want to make the wedding an opportunity to spoil the newlyweds.

The groom would pay for the honeymoon –  and plan it all in secret. The bride arranges the wedding (the groom does not have much of a say there), but the groom decides where the new marriage is celebrated and arranges everything himself.

2. The bride gets given away by her father 

In traditional Afrikaans culture, a father would be seen as the protector of his family and especially his daughter. So, he would be the one to walk her down the aisle, and “give her away” to her husband, symbolically giving the responsibility of protecting her over to the husband in accordance with the Bible.

The bride would also wear a veil that covers her face as a symbol of modesty. The father then lifts the veil in front of the altar, allowing the groom to see her face. This also shows how the father gives the groom an opportunity to share an intimate moment with the bride. This is usually a very emotional moment, as it would be the first time the groom sees his bride that day.

3. It’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other the day before

This is where a bit of superstition comes in. According to folklore, the marriage is doomed to fail should the bride and groom catch a glimpse of each other on the day before the wedding. Usually, they also won’t communicate at all -making for some nervous brides and grooms most of the time! This adds excitement to the big day, and both are counting down the hours until they finally lay eyes on each other at the altar.

4. The husband must take the bride’s garter off with his mouth

During the reception, the real shenanigans begin. After dinner, it’s all fun and games. The bride has to wear a garter around one leg. Then, she is made to sit or stand on a chair with all the young people around her in a circle. The groom’s aim is to find the garter and remove it with his mouth – all with his eyes closed. If he can manage that, well, let’s just say they are in for a very pleasant marriage.

5. Young bachelors have their say while the groom makes a toast

Another funny tradition is for the groomsmen and/or the unmarried men at the wedding to try and embarrass the poor groom as much as possible while he tries to make a toast. As he stands to make a heartfelt speech to his lovely bride, the young men will yell good-intended insults, or sing silly songs to interrupt him.

6. The bride and groom cut the wedding cake together

All is good if there is food. No Afrikaans wedding is complete without a picture of the newlyweds cutting the cake together. The bride and groom will ceremoniously put their hands on the knife and make the first cut together. After that, it is 100% expected for them to each take a piece with their hands and feed each other with the messiest results possible.

7. Time to hit the dance floor 

While there is dancing involved in most weddings, Afrikaans people absolutely love to ‘sokkie’. There are no two ways about it: As soon as the dance floor opens, couples will grab each other by the hand for a good old ‘langarm’ (Afrikaans for “long-arm”, as this dance entails the couple to have one hand stretched out and holding the other). This truly traditional dance style happens to the tune of some banging Afrikaans pop music, and can involve some nifty twists and turns for those who really like to get down.

Picture: Unsplash

Fred Paul and Florence Harvey’s love story ignited 68 years ago when they were just teenagers in Wandsworth, a small town in Canada.

They were inseparable, spending every moment they could wrapped up in each other’s company. Every night, Paul would flicker his porch light to say good night to Harvey, who lived across the bay.

“She was my first love. My first girlfriend and my first true love,” Paul (84) told CNN.