Handfasting

Handfasting Ceremony

The Handfasting ritual involves tying colorful ribbons around the hands of the spouses to represent their bond and the connection between them and nature.

Also known as the "tying of the hands" ritual, it has Celtic origins.

In its original version, the ribbons represent the natural elements: air, water, earth, and fire. Thus, the new family will be "blessed" by nature. Resting on the hands of the spouses, these ribbons are knotted, and their binding represents the union of the souls of the spouses with the natural elements.

But there are variations that you might find more suitable to our way of being.

With ribbons:

Some guests will carry colorful ribbons and softly wrap them around the joined hands of the spouses.

Each colored ribbon represents a value brought as a gift to accompany them through life.

In the end, the celebrant will say that the values given have passed through the ribbons to the hands of the spouses.

The ribbons are no longer needed, and the spouses will toss them high in a dramatic and joyful gesture.

• Red: passion and desire

• Orange: vitality

• Yellow: trust and joy

• Blue: sincerity and patience

• Green: health and fertility

• Purple: wisdom

• Black: stability

• White: purity and peace

• Brown: home and earth

• Gray: balance

• Pink: tenderness and romance

• Silver: creativity

• Gold: prosperity