Celtic Handfasting Ceremony or Hand Binding Ceremony is a ceremony that was practiced by the Celts (among other people) during the Middle Ages. It involves much reverence of nature, her seasons and her elements.
The most important (and traditional) part of most modern neo-pagan Celtic Handfasting Ceremony is the binding together of hands. Traditionally, it goes like this: The couple face each other and hold right hands and left hands together, so that their clasped hands cross. This creates a figure eight, the sign of infinity, when seen from the top down. The celebrant or some other honoured individual – often a child, a stepchild, parent/s or a chief attendant ties the cord around one person’s left wrist and the other person’s right wrist. In the infinity position, this is easy to do as they are next to each other and continue figure eights around the two closest arms. The traditional numbers of knots are three, six (being the number of love), and nine. The knots themselves should never be untied. Put your cord somewhere safe, where it won’t be disturbed or lost.
The cord for the Celtic Handfasting Ceremony should be at least six feet long in order to go several times around the couples wrists (practice with string first to get the right length, depending on the number of knots). It should be thick enough to be tied easily (and loosely so you can easily slip out of the knots) – very thick yarn or silk rattail cord should be the smallest diameter. The best is probably wide satin or silk cord, or you can plait several colours together, those colours that are important to both of you.
The colour of the cord(s) for the Celtic Hanfasting Ceremony is an intensely personal thing, and can only be chosen by the couple in question. It can be your favourite colours, or your wedding colours, or colours that are personally symbolic to you. The colours can also symbolise the qualities that you most wish to bring to the relationship. E.g., red could symbolise passion, orange could be for energy, yellow for joy, green for growth, blue for truth, purple for nobility, brown for had work and loyalty, black for eternal commitment, white for newness, grey for quietness, silver for communication or gold for warmth.
All these ceremonies are presented after the Declaration so your hands are bound through your Vows, the cord used for the Celtic Handfasting Ceremony is then removed for the Ring Exchange.
All ceremonies include an “Introduction” so your family and friends are aware of the meaning of this unity ritual………
Some of the more popular Wedding Handfasting Ceremonies offered include
SIMPLE Wedding Hanfasting Ceremony | CELTIC PAGAN Hanfasting Ceremony | CELTIC Wedding Hanfasting Ceremony | DRUID Wedding Hanfasting Ceremony | CHRISTIAN Hanfasting Ceremony