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.
