When the marriage covenant is set and all that remains is the ceremony, unlike our culture, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare the wedding chamber for her. This was a long separation that may last a year.
This culture appears to be alluded to when Jesus tells his apostles in John 14 that he is going to prepare a place for them and will return to receive them unto himself; that where He is, there they would be, also. (John 14:2-3). A long time may consist of a year, but over 2,000 years is a very long time. Forty years is a long time, but it is still within a generation of time. Some, are still waiting for his return in the belief that the kingdom has yet to arrive. However long and whether fulfilled or not, the time of separation was a time of preparation for both. Both are faithful to each other and the bride would be alert and prepared when the Groom arrives. This is the reason that fasting is relevant in the New Testament because they are apart from each other. Jesus reasoned in Matthew 9:15, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” The fasting describes the lifestyle of the bride’s preparation while she awaits her beloved.
Another connection during this time of preparation is the work of the Holy Spirit. If Christ has not returned, it makes sense to expect the other comforter who was promised to come while Jesus was away preparing a place. But, if Jesus has come, then, the Holy Spirit’s work has been completed (cf. John 16:7, 13-14).