Archive for November, 2009

Celtic Wedding Rings: Traditions and Ceremonies

Posted on: November 4th, 2009 by Sine Treanor No Comments

Celtic Traditions and Ceremonies.
There are a number of traditions surrounding Celtic wedding rings. Celtic wedding ceremonies have been quite influential on many of our modern wedding traditions, so even without knowing it, your wedding might be more Celtic than you realize. Of course, by including a few ancient traditions, you can honor the beautiful Celtic heritage even more.

For instance, in Celtic ceremonies it was traditional for the bride to place her groom’s ring in his hand while speaking her wedding vows. Then he would place his ring for her in her hand, and say his vows as well. Celtic wedding rings were also worn on the ring finger of the left hand during this period, because it was believed there was a vein in this finger that flowed directly into the heart, so wearing the ring on this finger was symbolic of love.

The modern tradition of the unity candle also stems from Celtic wedding traditions. After exchanging the rings, the bride and groom each received a lit candle from their respective families. The two then used their candles to light a larger candle at the same time. This larger candle represented the joining not only of the couple (as it is typically viewed in modern unity candle rituals), but of their families or clans as well.

Another Celtic tradition was for the couple to draw a circle around themselves at the start of the ceremony. This ritual was known as Caim, and the circle surrounding the couple represented their relationship with each other and with God.

These ancient wedding traditions had a bigger impact on modern weddings than you might realize. For instance, it is traditional for the bride to stand on the groom’s left during the ceremony. This part of the ceremony came into being because in historical times, it symbolically left the groom’s right arm free to fight off the bride’s family as he took her away with him!

Even the old saying, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe,” stems from old Celtic wedding traditions. Blue was supposed to be a lucky color, and the new item — usually the bride’s handkerchief — was also supposed to bring luck to the couple. The borrowed item represented friendship, and the coin in the bride’s shoe was supposed to bring them financial success.

Celtic wedding ceremonies often started with a reference to the cyclical ebb and flow of life. The circular shape of the rings, and the unending designs found in Celtic jewelry, also symbolized this concept. Therefore by incorporating Celtic rings and customs into your modern wedding ceremony, you are celebrating the ancient roots of this beautiful practice.

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