More commonly called the
mizveh tanz (Yiddish for the "mitzvah dance"), this is a
Hasidic
minhag (tradition), carried out to fulfill the Biblical commandment to dance before a bride and gladden her heart. ("Mitzveh" means commanded.) During the course of a
wedding reception, the bride emerges from behind the
mechitzah (wall or opaque screen) where all of the women are sequestered. She holds one end of a very long handcerchief, or a belt. The other end is given, in turn, to each of the prominent male guests at the wedding and ultimately to the groom. The men dance. She rocks back and forth, from one foot to the other, while
looking at the ground.
I shit thee not.