What is handfasting?
What is handfasting?
The first time I heard about handfasting was when we were planning our own celebrant-led wedding ceremony, and our wedding celebrant suggested it. It wasn’t really our vibe, but it did sound impressive – I was right. The first time I saw it in action was at a friend’s Scottish wedding, using family tartan. Of course, there is a symbolic element to this ritual, but it does also create a bit of a wow moment for your guests and makes for a great photo.
Where handfasting originate from?
Ever wondered where the well-known phrase tying the knot comes from? Well, now you know…handfasting! A handfasting ceremony includes tying the hands together and signifies two lives binding. Rooted in Celtic tradition, this ritual is often incorporated in Wiccan or Pagan ceremonies, but it has become a popular feature of celebrant-led weddings.
What does a handfasting include?
The beauty of this ritual is it is visually pleasing. The wedding celebrant cleverly arranges the handfasting cord over a wedding couple’s hands and wrists as they say their vows. When the moment is right - they pull the cords and ta-daaaaaaaaa! A knot is formed in the shape of an x – just like a kiss, how fitting! It is also super collaborative; more than one piece of material can be used so that others can be involved. There are even clever ways of tying the material so that multiple people can be involved in the binding moment; this is a lovely option for blended families.
How can we make a handfasting personal?
There is also the opportunity to make this ritual deeply personal. There is lots of freedom when it comes to what material to use for the handfasting. For example, you could choose ribbons in your favourite colours, your football team colours or Harry Potter house colours. You could use cord, which you weave yourselves, again using colours with meaning. There are no rules, only that whatever you do choose does need to be long enough (at least 1m long) for the handfasting to actually work.
Is handfasting the wedding ceremony ritual for you?
Handfasting has the potential to be a unique and personal moment of your ceremony but having read this you might be thinking it’s still knot quite your cup of tea (excuse the pun), in which case you might want to consider a different ritual…or knot have one at all (can’t help myself!) – it’s up to you!
