What We Know About Celtic Wedding Tradtions
The union of two people holds incredible significance across all cultures and faiths. The ceremonies practiced to honor this union change through the years, but the importance of the joining of hearts remains steadfast throughout history. Long ago, before the British Isles were the countries we now know as Scotland, England, and Ireland were established, this part of the world also had unique views surrounding marriage.
While much of life in ancient Ireland is a mystery, we are lucky enough to know about some of the traditions surrounding marriage. This is due to the recording of Brehon Laws - a set of laws that were in practice from around 600 CE until the Norman invasion in the 12th century. Aspects of these laws were still observed until the mid 17th century. These laws governed every part of Celtic life and as such, detailed quite a few details about marital union. The Celts saw marriage as a free union of two individuals - both of whom brought unique assets to the table. Unlike many other traditions of the time, Celtic women chose their husband and retained the rights to all property they had. They did not take on their spouses names and were granted the right to retain their independent property should the marriage become annulled.
It is difficult to say what a marriage ceremony would have actually looked like in pagan Ireland. An understanding of the laws that governed people can only provide a limited perspective on how people actually lived their lives. However, we do know that handfasting ceremonies were commonplace well into the 16th century - long after other pagan practices had been abandoned. Unlike today, handfasting ceremonies were actually used as a trial period for a marriage. A couple’s hands would be bound together in ritual and they would go on living as a married couple for a year. If, the day after their one year anniversary, they decided that the marriage would not work, both parties could go on their way without having to go through a lengthy divorce process.
We do know that Brehon Law in Celtic society was overseen by the Druids - high ranking people who acted as priests, lawkeepers, medical practioners, political advisors, and much more. Written records of Druids tell us that they saw trees as important members of society. Because the old growth oak forests of the Celtic world stood long past the existence of any individual, they were seen as wisdom keepers and the divine witness of significant rituals and events. It is easy to imagine that individual villages could have had great trees that witnessed the union of hundreds if not thousands of lovers.
Today, our societal structure might look different then perhaps it was when these practices were the norm, but that does not mean we must leave them in the past. A wonderful thing about understanding our own history is that we can take what we know about the past and bring the concepts that we resonate with into our modern lives. Many couples today seek alternative methods of memorializing their wedding day and oftentimes turn to hand fasting as a result. We hope to provide real history for our customers who resonate with this practice so that they can better connect with the tradition - and perhaps we can inspire you to continue to research even further!
