In Old Testament times, wedding ceremonies were quite elaborate. They began with a precession by the groom and his friends to the home of the bride. The wedding party then returned with great fanfare to the groom's house for a feast that often lasted a week (Judges 14:12) and sometimes as long as two weeks!
Engaged men were exempted from military service (Deuteronomy 20:7).
Pharisess wore tiny leather boxes on their foreheads and arms. These boxes, called "phylacteries," contained four passages from the Law of Moses-- Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21. Also see Matthew 23:5.
In early Old Testament times, whenever two Israelites finalized a real estate transaction, one of the men would take off his sandal and give it to the other to seal the deal (Ruth 4:7).
Newborn babies were rubbed with salt (Ezekiel 16:4).
To symbolize his desire for a permanent working relationship, a slave would have his master take an awl and stick it through the slave's ear into the master's doorpost (Exodus 21:6).
Newlyweds were commanded by God to honeymoon for a solid year (Deuteronomy 24:5)!
When friends took a stroll together, they walked single file, not side-by-side.
