History of the Celtic knot tying ceremony

The Celtic knot tying ceremony, also known as handfasting, is an ancient custom. This practice, in ages past, recognized as marriage in Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England, did not mean quite the same as what we think of marriage today. Also known by names like  'Celtic Marriage' or 'hand-wrapping' it is still practiced as one of the most popular Celtic marriage traditions. 

 

Origin of the Celtic knot tying ceremony

 

How did this custom start? To understand this, we need to recognize that in the past, the gesture of holding hands was a sign that the couple’s relationship was exclusive and while exchanging rings was a custom, not everyone could afford them. For those who couldn’t afford rings, a cord worked just fine.

 

 

As for the origins, the Celtic handfasting tradition can be traced back to 7000 BC when the Celts migrated from Europe and settled in Britain. They brought the ritual with them, and the practice continued well through the Tudor Period. Two people came to be married, and their hands were fastened together with a cord or strip of material. The Celtic knot ceremony publicly declared the couple’s intention to marry one year and a day in the future. In the meantime, they lived together as husband and wife. 

 

Lughnasadh harvest festival

As long as we are talking about this custom, another bit of related trivia is the ancient Irish tradition of a festival held on Lughnasadh (associated with the god Lugh). The festival was held to commemorate his marriage and was practiced until the nineteenth century. During this festival, men and women gathered on opposite sides of a high wall. Men stood on the North side and women on the South. The women stuck through hands through holes in the wall. Men came along and chose one of the hands. These new couples formed temporary partnerships called “Tailtian marriages.” They were solemnized at the festival and the couples lived together for a year and a day in a trial marriage. After the time was up, they decided whether or not they wanted to be permanently married. 

 

Why a trial marriage?

Ancient Celtic law recognized this union as a trial period. Why? Speculation was that the making a public declaration of intent to marry let suitors know both parties were no longer available. Plus, the probationary phase offered time to ensure the couple was ready to take on the commitment of marriage. 

I think of it this way, instead of an engagement ring, they made their intentions known with this Celtic knot tying ceremony. It symbolized the joining of two lives. And my two cents is that a knot can be temporary. It can be untied.

 

Celtic wedding knot ceremony today

The Celtic wedding knot ceremony is a popular tradition in weddings today. As you can probably guess, the Celtic hand tying ceremony is where we get the modern expressions of ‘tying the knot’ and 'bonds of matrimony.' Often it is practiced across traditions and cultures as a unity ceremony with specific handfasting colors incorporated in the cords to represent personal meanings to the couple. 

 

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Memorable unity wedding ceremony ideas

Unity. It’s something unique in today’s world and an important ingredient for a happy marriage. For couples planning to add a unity ceremony to their wedding, it presents a symbolic reminder of love and oneness within the marriage as the bride and groom embark on their new life together as one. And you don’t have to feel like your unity ceremony is a cookie-cutter type ceremony. First of all, each bride and groom are uniquely special. Plus, you have plenty of unity wedding ideas to work with to make the ceremony your own. 

Unity candle

Let’s start with the unity candle. This one is traditional with a capital “T”. Two individual taper candles, which sit on each side of the larger unity candle, are usually lit by the parents or mothers of the bride and groom at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. These signify the two individuals coming from two different families. When the time comes for the unity ceremony, the bride and groom each take those candles lit by their parents and use them to light the single candle. As the two flames become one, it represents their unity in marriage. If you don’t have parents or mothers to light the candles they can be lit before the wedding ceremony starts. It still represents the two flames becoming one.

Unity candles are available in sets both plain or decorative. If you like the idea of the unity candle but wish to make it a little different, you can always use a decorative indoor candle lantern for a special effect. Plus the lantern makes a nice keepsake. If you go this route, be sure to choose a lantern(s) that are open or are easy to open so you don’t find yourself fiddling with the lantern when you are trying to light it.

Handfasting

The handfasting wedding ceremony, while it presents a picture of unity, offers abundance of other symbolism that works well for couples looking for ideas for their unity ceremony. This ancient Celtic ritual involves binding the couple’s hands together with cords or ribbons to symbolize the joining of two lives. This was once considered a Wiccan or Pagan ceremony but is now considered mainstream and is often included in Christian and secular weddings. Handfasting most often accompanies the exchange of vows but can be performed while a meaningful poem is read or even the history of tying the knot. The ribbons or cords used in this ceremony offer another layer of symbolism with meanings for the different colors used. 

 

Wine blending ceremony

For couples who enjoy drinking wine together, a wine blending ceremony makes the perfect choice. The couple each choose a wine to create their own special blend. For the ceremony, they mingle to two in one cup and then drink from it. The drinking together from a single cup is said to represent the sharing all of life’s experiences, both bitter and sweet and it represents unity because once blended it is impossible to separate one wine from the other. If you want to actually drink from the cup at the same time, a German Bridal Cup can make that possible.

 

Unity sand ceremony

The sand ceremony is a meaningful unity wedding ceremony for couples as well as for a blended family scenario, because a sand ceremony is an easy and fun way to incorporate children. In my opinion, using colored sand creates a great visual. The premise for this ceremony is the sand blends as it is poured and it is just about impossible to separate. Besides using colored sand, some people choose sand gathered from favorite vacation spots or other locations that hold special meaning to the couple.

If you choose a decorative container to pour the sand into, it becomes a special wedding keepsake which can be displayed in your new home.

Thanks for reading. If you have other unity ceremony ideas you'd like to share, be sure to leave them in a comment.

 

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4 Ancient Viking Marriage Traditions for Today

Viking-inspired wedding themes are growing in popularity. Some couples choose a Viking décor based on ancient Norse and Celtic history that include things like drinking mead from traditional drinking horns and tying the knot by handfasting. But for those who want to take their wedding beyond the usual accoutrements, incorporating one or more of the following long-forgotten ancient Viking wedding traditions may add that unique flare you’re looking for.

Get Married on a Friday

This first Viking wedding tradition isn’t something you see, but something to be experienced Set the wedding date for a Friday. Since Friday was considered sacred to Figg (Frigga), the wife of Odin, the highest ranking of the Aesir goddesses, Viking weddings were held on Fridays.

    

Exchange Swords and Rings

The Viking groom presented his bride with the family’s ancestral sword along with the wedding ring on its hilt. The bride then presented the groom with her family’s ancestral sword with his ring on the hilt. Where did the groom’s family sword come from? Before the wedding, the groom broke into the grave of an ancestor to retrieve the sword. As he entered the grave and emerged with the sword, it symbolized his death as a boy and his new life as a man.

Grooms had to enter grave and emerge with ancestoral sword.

Escorting the Bride

Another custom involving the family sword deals with who escorted the bride. Instead of the father walking the bride down the “aisle,’ a younger male family member escorted the bride. This young male carried the sword to be presented to the groom.

Sounding of the Horn

This tradition works well for couples getting married at a lakeside venue. Historically the Viking groom went out on the lake in a boat with ten of his friends before the wedding. When the hunting horn sounded, they came back to shore to take part in the wedding. For a little added authenticity, you can look for a Viking boat to rent for the occasion but they are hard to find. 

While most people don’t reenact ancient wedding traditions exactly, it can be fun to modernized them for today. Getting married on a Friday is the easiest wedding custom on this list, and finding a young man of the family to escort the bride won’t take much work, but no one is going to rob a grave for a sword, so including the sword ceremony will require buying swords and rings (unless you have an ancestral family sword). 

The fun part for people who do introduce the sword ceremony into their wedding is that they will have a family sword to pass on to their children. And as for the boat arrival of a groom, this one takes the most work and requires a lakeside wedding venue, a hunting horn to blow, and the availability of a boat. Any boat can work, but if you really want a Viking replica, the Karvi, with 13 rowing benches is about the right size. These wooden boats have a shallow draft hull designed for speed that can make beach landings and can navigate waters only a meter deep. The problem is that Viking boats for rent are hard to find in the States, but you can find Viking boats for hire in the UK. If you know of other places to find Viking boats for hire, please let me know in the comments.

For more  ideas for Viking traditions to include for your wedding, check out ancient-origins.net.

Vintage Handmade Ceremonial Viking Mead Drinking HornSet Of 4

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Handfasting tradition represents love and fidelity

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the phrase "to tie the knot" when talking about getting married? It turns out this saying comes from an ancient custom known as handfasting. The same is true for the phrase, "bonds of matrimony." This tying together of the bride and groom's hands (wrists) was how couples in Great Britain pledged their betrothal in front of witnesses in ages past. Today it is a popular addition to traditional weddings for couples looking to add a strong cultural or historical element to incorporate in their ceremony.

Handfasting goes back to Greece and Rome

The practice of handfasting was originally practiced by the Greeks and Romans. In the Roman celebration, a garland was fashioned from magnolias, elder and roses which they used to wrap around the couple's wrists. This practice was thought to represent love and fidelity.

Handfasting common tradition in Ireland and Scotland

The handfasting ceremony became especially common in Ireland and Scotland and turned out to be the way couples were "officially" married in the times before the church became involved in performing weddings and makes a popular choice for couples who choose a medieval theme or fantasy theme for their wedding.

Divinity Braid  Wedding Handfasting Cord

Handfasting today

Today, many people consider handfasting a strictly pagan custom often used in non-traditional marriages, but really it is a wedding ritual that can easily be incorporated into a traditional wedding while exchanging vows. In fact, it's a meaningful ritual that makes a perfect choice for couples looking to incorporate a visual that symbolizes their love, and for those of Scottish or Irish decent it is an opportunity to add a nice historical tie to their roots.

Traditionally silk cords are used in handfasting, but today some people use something that adds a personal touch meaningful to them. This might include cloth strips or one large piece of cloth made from something that holds special significance, like a piece of a mother or grandmother's wedding dress. Others choose several ribbons or a number of different colors with each color representing a different meaning.

Whatever you choose to use to tie the knot, this timeless tradition symbolizes the union of two people and their willingness to spend the rest of their lives together. And while the practice itself is an ancient tradition, today couples can find many different versions to choose from whether it is for a wedding or a renewal of vows.

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