The next stage is known as the chuppah, or
"canopy." The chuppah is a decorated piece of cloth held aloft
as a symbolic home for the new couple. It is usually held outside, under the
stars, as a sign of the blessing given by G-d to the patriarch Abraham, that his
children shall be "as the stars of the heavens." The groom is
accompanied to the chuppah by his parents, and usually wears a white
robe, known as a kittel, to indicate the fact that for the bride and
groom, life is starting anew with a clean white slate, since they are uniting to
become a new entity, without past sins. In fact, the bride and groom usually
fast on the day of the wedding (until the chuppah) since for them it is
like Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. While the bride comes to the chuppah
with her parents, a cantor sings a selection from the Song of Songs, and the
groom prays that his unmarried friends find their true partners in life.
When the bride arrives at the chuppah she circles the groom seven times with her mother and future mother-in-law, while the groom continues to pray. This symbolizes the idea of the woman being a protective, surrounding light of the household, that illuminates it with understanding and love from within and protects it from harm from the outside. The number seven parallels the seven days of creation, and symbolizes the fact that the bride and groom are about to create their own "new world" together.
Under the chuppah, an honored Rabbi or family member then recites a blessing
over wine, and a blessing that praises and thanks G-d for giving us laws of
sanctity and morality to preserve the sanctity of family life and of the Jewish
people. The bride and groom then drink from the wine. The blessings are recited
over wine, since wine is symbolic of life: it begins as grape-juice, goes
through fermentation, during which it is sour, but in the end turns into a
superior product that brings joy, and has a wonderful taste. The full cup of
wine also symbolizes the overflowing of Divine blessing, as in the verse in
Psalms, "My cup runneth over."