As in all things Jewish, there are a variety of interpretations, here are a few:
- A representation of the fragility of human relationships and a reminder that marriage will change your life (hopefully for the good) forever.
- A superstition that the loud noise is supposed to drive away evil spirits.
- A break with the past: the marriage is to last as long as the glass remains broken, which we hope is forever.
- Symbolizes the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago.
- Symbolizes a hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glass, or that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.
Traditionally, it is the Groom who breaks the glass, but many couples today are putting a modern twist to it. Either with both people breaking the glass together, each with one foot on it, or breaking 2 separate glasses simultaneously. This is true at Jewish, Interfaith and same sex weddings.
You can smash any kind of glass: old, new, borrowed, or blue. But in the last few years it has become very popular to break a beautiful glass and to keep the shards as a keepsake. Beames Designs offers both gorgeous hand blown and elegantly hand painted break glasses, plus a variety of hand made keepsake pieces (Mezuzahs, Tzedakah Boxes, Picture Frames and more) to show off the shards from this momentous day.
