Going up in the chairs at a wedding

Nobody knows exactly where the tradition of chair dancing started (at least I couldn’t find one on the web).  I’ve been to a lot of Jewish weddings, and some other ones, too, where the couple is raised up in the air on two chairs and paraded around the room.  

We all know that once the Hora music starts, that fast paced clarinet song, and two chairs are placed on the middle of the dance floor, the couple is going to go up in the air.  Several strong friends are placed at the corner of each chair, and the rest of the group forms a circle around the couple.  Then suddenly, whoosh, the bride and the groom are lifted right up.  

Traditionally, a handkerchief links the bride and the groom (they aren’t supposed to touch)- sometimes now, though I’ve seen them holding hands.  But most often they are holding onto the bottom of the chair for dear life as they are bounced up and down around the dance floor.

Everyone else is doing the traditional grapevine dance in a circle around them - right foot crosses in front of the left, left foot crosses behind the right.  If there are a lot of guests, concentric circles will form, with the closest relatives making a small circle closest to the bride and groom, and larger circles of dancers on the outside ring.

It’s a fun traditional Jewish dance - Just watch out for any chandeliers!

This one was taken at the Silverado Golf Resort in Napa California