When looking for unity ceremonies for your wedding, one popular choice is the Cord of Three Strands Ceremony, which is also known as God’s Knot, the unity braid, or unity rope. 

 

 

Origins of the three-strand cord for weddings

 

The origins of the three-strand cord can be traced back to the book of Ecclesiastes 4:12 found in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The three strands represent God, the groom, and the bride and braiding them into one symbolizes the joining of one man, one woman, and God in marriage. The idea is that with God at the center of the marriage, His love will continue to grow and keep the couple united in a flourishing relationship.

 

 

Cord of Three Strands wedding ceremony

As a unity ceremony, the Cord of Three Strands wedding ceremony plays a special part. The groom holds a small metal ring with three cords attached and the bride braids them into one rope, symbolic of the union of God, husband, and wife.

While braiding the Cord of Three Strands, someone often reads a description of the meaning of the ceremony (samples of readings are plentiful). However, if you prefer, you can keep the significance between just the two of you and have a soloist sing a song or simply play music. For couples who are not religious or prefer to leave God out of their ceremony, the Unity Braid ceremony can be performed by replacing “God” with the word “love.”

 

Cord Of Three Strands Unity Rope Wedding Braids 3/8" pick your colors

Other levels of symbolism

Following the braiding, wedding vows can be exchanged with the ancient handfasting tradition using the three-cord strand to bind their hands. Handfasting is also symbolic of the binding together of two people in love.

Cords are a symbol of strength, and colors used bring yet more symbolic meaning adding a special layer to the vows being exchanged. Most often the three cords are of three different colors, chosen by the couple for the colors' symbolic meanings to them. Custom made three cords can be ordered in specific colors.

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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. 

 

Photo credits: Etsy, Pinterest, Etsy

Polish Bread and salt wedding tradition

Weddings offer the perfect opportunity for couples to embrace wedding traditions tied to familial cultural roots. Among polish wedding traditions, one that many brides and grooms choose to include on their wedding day is the bread and salt tradition. 

Historically, bread and salt is at the center of traditional welcome ceremonies in Slavic and European cultures as well as Middle Eastern cultures. Over time it has been adopted as a pleasant and meaningful way to celebrate two families coming together as the parents of the bride and groom welcome the newlywed couple to the wedding reception.

 

Bread and salt tradition

While the bread and salt wedding tradition is a European tradition, its origins are generally attributed to Poland where the welcoming with bread and salt is an honored custom. Today it is most often observed as part of the wedding celebration as newlyweds are greeted with bread and salt by their parents at the wedding reception. An announcement is made:

“This is a long cherished Polish tradition which has been passed down through the centuries. It symbolizes the union of the Bride and Groom and their families.”

The parents of the bride and groom greet the newlyweds with a loaf of wedding bread sprinkled with salt and a glass of wine. The parents say, "According to our Old Polish tradition, we greet you with bread and salt so that your home might always enjoy abundance." Then they offer the bread to the newlyweds to eat followed by a glass of wine from which the bride and groom drink. The parents then kiss the bride and groom and welcome then to the family.

Symbolism of bread and salt ceremony

• Bread: Represents the parents' hope that their children will never experience hunger or need. 
• Salt: Salt sprinkled on the bread is a reminder to the couple that their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life's struggles together. 
• Wine: Wine symbolizes the parents' hope that the bride and groom will never thirst and will have a life of good health and cheer and that they will share the company of many good friends. 
• Kiss: This parents' kiss is a symbol of their love and unity.

 

 

Sta Lot

The bread and salt ceremony concludes with the song Sta Lot. It wishes good luck to the couple that lasts for 100 years. This celebration is big and wedding guests really enjoy it. Here is a rough translation of the main verse:

May their star of prosperity

Never extinguish!

Never extinguish!

And whoever won't sing with us

May they sleep under the table!

May they sleep under the table!

At the conclusion of this short ceremony, the bride, groom, and their parents proceed to their tables and await the saying of grace before the meal.

 

Photo credits: Forever Video, Polishroots