The Celts had some unique wedding traditions and it may not be that surprising to know that many still exist today and still take place in some modern ceremonies. The handfasting ceremony that the Celts used is one such tradition. Back in Celtic times, this was a public declaration of two people who intended to marry. It was the Celtic way of announcing an engagement.
The ceremony involved clasping the man and woman’s hands together and binding them with a rope, cord, or a ribbon. Once their hands were bound together the Celtic Druid would loudly proclaim to all in attendance that they were engaged. They were engaged for one year and if at the end of that year they wished to formally marry they could, or if they did not, they could break the ‘handfast’.
For an illustrated look at many more Celtic nuptial traditions, see the below infographic created by Celtic Cross Online.
An infographic by the team at http://www.celticcrossonline.com/
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