Have you ever wondered where the saying “Tie the knot” came from? The term comes from an ancient Celtic ritual called handfasting, which basically took the place of Celtic engagement rings.

Basically, handfasting was the pagan equivalent of common law marriage: The church didn’t witness marriages back then, and therefore, marriages were not performed by anyone in an official capacity. Handfasting was more like an engagement in that it set up a trial period of a year and a day, after which time the couple would decide whether or not they wanted to stay together.

In a handfasting ceremony, the couple’s hands were tied together. Some versions claim that the couple remained tied together for the entire year, while others hold that the bonds were only for the ceremony. (It is hard to imagine how the former could be true, as inconvenient as it would be to be literally tied to a person for a year!) In either case, handfasting also established rules for how property would be divided up if the couple decided to split after the trial period, similar to a prenuptial today. This allowed a couple to try things out together without losing their individual property, and ensured that any children born during this period would be properly recognized.

Most modern wedding ceremonies include symbolic references to handfasting. For instance, asking who gives the bride comes from the handfasting tradition. However, some couples also choose to honor the tradition by tying their hands together for part of the ceremony. Some people stand side by side and have their hands tied together as if they were walking down the street holding hands.

Another way to tie the couple’s hands together is to face one another and hold hands across the gap between them, left to left and right to right. If you looked down on the couple from above, their bodies and arms would form a figure 8 or a double circle, which pagans believe symbolized the union between them. Their hands are then bound together in that position, essentially binding them to the union and to their promise.

If you plan to honor your heritage with Celtic wedding rings, consider including some symbolic reference to handfasting in your ceremony as well. It will make your ceremony unique and special, something for you and your spouse to remember every time you look at your rings.

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It’s important for owners of Celtic wedding rings to know how to care for their jewelry. Proper care will keep your wedding ring looking new and beautiful throughout the entire span of your marriage.

Celtic wedding rings generally come in two main kinds of metals: gold, and sterling silver. It is important to know how to care for your ring correctly.

Caring for Gold Celtic Wedding Rings

Although gold doesn’t tarnish like silver, any type of jewelry will get dirty if it is worn a lot, which your wedding rings almost certainly will be. One easy thing that you can do to help care for your ring is to take it off when you shower, wash your hands, or apply lotion. This will prevent your ring from being dulled with soap and lotion residues.

The safest way to clean gold Celtic jewelry is with commercially available jewelry cleaners. Be sure to choose a gentle cleaner, as too abrasive a cleaner or polish can scratch the gold. You can also clean your ring with a mild solution made from dishwashing liquid and warm water. You’ll only want to use a few drops of dishwashing liquid in a small bowl of warm water; let the jewelry soak and then clean it with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Polish it dry with a soft cotton cloth.

Caring for Sterling Silver Celtic Wedding Rings

Sterling silver is a type of silver that is mixed with another metal, usually copper, to make it hard enough to be worn as jewelry. As a result, Celtic wedding rings made of sterling tend to tarnish. Therefore, your ring should always be stored in a tarnish prevention bag, a cloth bag that is treated to delay tarnishing, whenever it is not on your finger. If your ring does tarnish, you can clean it with commercially available polishing cloths or silver polish.

Most likely, though, you will not have to polish your ring often if you wear it frequently. Silver rings that are worn daily tend to develop an attractive patina, where the silver tarnishes in crevices and remains bright everywhere else, emphasizing the design. As a result, the patina tends to complement, rather than detract from, Claddagh wedding rings.

Whatever you do, don’t use toothpaste to clean sterling silver or gold Celtic jewelry. Although many sites recommend this as a do-it-yourself way to clean your jewelry, in reality toothpaste is too abrasive and scratch the surface. A jeweler will need to buff the ring in order to remove the scratches, so what started as a simple cleaning may become a much more expensive proposition.

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Celtic jewelry may be beautiful but it’s not intended to simply be pretty. Instead, there is a lot of symbolism to be found in all Celtic jewelry. The most popular type of this jewelry is the Claddagh wedding ring which is filled with symbolism. However, even other types of jewelry that appear simpler do have a meaning hidden with their design.

Claddagh wedding rings are the most well-known form of Celtic jewelry. Many people even know what these rings symbolize. Claddagh wedding rings are designed with two hands holding a heart and topped by a crown. This represents love, friendship and loyalty. These are clearly important things in a marriage so it makes sense that Claddagh wedding rings are rich with these symbols.

Other Celtic jewelry is equally rich in symbols, though. For example, many people are interested in jewelry bearing Celtic knots. Most people are drawn to these because the intricate knots are visually stunning. However, they are also symbolic. Celtic knots represent eternity because their patterns go on and on forever as they intertwine and loop around.

A design that is similar to Celtic knots is Celtic spirals. Spirals tend to represent the ongoing spirals of the mind and of nature. What this means is that the Celtic people recognized a constant need to find harmony within oneself as well as between oneself and the outer world. People who are on this quest may wear Celtic jewelry with spirals in the design to remind them of their mission.

Finally, there is the symbolism of the Celtic cross. People who are truly interested in Celtic culture and spirituality may have strong beliefs about the Celtic gods that are represented in the mythology of the culture. The Celtic cross symbolizes this respect for the gods. People who feel this way will wear Celtic jewelry depicting the cross as a way to keep God close at all times.

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