"This custom was termed hand-fasting,
and consisted in a species of contract between two chiefs, by which it was agreed that the
heir of one should live with the daughter of the other as her husband for twelve months
and a day. If in that time the lady became a mother, or proved to be with child, the
marriage became good in law, even although no priest had performed the marriage ceremony
in due form; but should there not have occurred any appearance of issue, the contract was
considered at an end, and each party was at liberty to marry or hand-fast with any other.
It is manifest that the practice of so peculiar a species of marriage must have been in
terms of the original law among the Highlanders, otherwise it would be difficult to
conceive how such a custom could have originated; and it is in fact one which seems
naturally to have arisen from the form of their society, which rendered it a matter of
such vital importance to secure the lineal succession of their chiefs. It is perhaps not
improbable that it was this peculiar custom which gave rise to the report handed down by
the Roman and other historians, that the ancient inhabitants of Great Britain had their
wives in common, or that it was the foundation of that law of Scotland by which natural
children became legitimized by subsequent marriage; and as this custom remained in the
Highlands until a very late period, the sanction of the ancient custom was sufficient to
induce them to persist in regarding the offspring of such marriages as legitimate."
https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/kin.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a Seanachaidh or Tradition Bearer of the Highlands, one of the customs that I do my best to keep alive is Handfasting.

The Story of HandFasting in my tradition

Hand-Fasting probably draws from Scandanavian Christian and
pre-Christian practices introduced to Scotland before 1000 AD. It was
still popular in the 15-1600s. It was a form of Betrothal. Some
historians have interpreted this as a trial marriage of a year and a
day. It may have been so in some
places in the Scottish Borders.
In a HandFasting, the hands were bound by The Ban', rather than by rings. Perhaps the couple would also Jump the Besom or over the campfire, which was popular in the Highlands. Under older
Canon Law, public figures, other than priests, would sometimes perform
the handfasting: Blacksmiths, Seanachaidhean (like me), Clann Chiefs
and so on. This allowed a couple to be recognised by their community
and the law until such times as a Priest would visit their rural
community to marry them before God. The law changed in the 1600s
allowing only church ministers to perform marriage, but the practice of
binding the hands had become popular and so some Scottish Churches were
still using hand-fasting as part of weddings up until the early 20th
Century.

page: www.scottish-master-of-wedding-ceremonies.co....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the enchanting legends of Arthur and Guinevere, lovers are united as
they 'tie the knot' with the magick and mysticism of Celtic handfasting
traditions.

These
are our handfasting cords (made by my mom and brother) laying over the
Peace Abbey's Consciencious Objector Book (which later that night Josh,
Kathy, Josh Brownies and I all signed in a final nod to a day of peace
and love). This was taken just after we slipped them off our hands
following the ceremony. They came off without a problem and all of our
knots are still entact (good work team handfasting). We worked the
cords and the knots all into a wreath and hung it on the wall at home.

We chose these colors for these associated meanings:

Blue for emotional depth, peace, sincerity and understanding
Gold for activity, intelligence, unity and light
Orange for passion, liveliness, kindness and encouragement
Green for growth, energy, success and companionship
Brown for skill and talent, grounding, care, love for animals and respect for the earth
White for strength of spirit, healing, protection, creativity and devotion
page: flickr.com/photos/84143785@N00/284673306
      Handfasting, an Ancient Celtic ceremony inspired by the
Greeks, Etruscans, Romans and Norsemen, is regaining popularity within
and beyond the Pagan community as modern couples seek alternative ways
to honour their love-bond. Today, with the turn away from organised
religion and the rise of nature-based religions like Wicca, the market
for alternative weddings like the handfasting ceremony is increasing.
Joy Ferguson's MAGICKAL WEDDINGS is a fascinating handbook that helps
to connect romantic handfasting traditions from antiquity with
modern-day ceremonies. It is also a practical wedding planning guide
from start to finish, filled with charts and worksheets, to help any
couple plan their handfasting. This complete guide offers: *
Suggestions for vows and ritual elements; * Tips on how to choose the
right day to handfast; * Different ways to include friends and family
members in the ceremony; * An explanation of the symbolism behind
elements like cords, flowers, decorative items, and gemstones.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magickal-Weddings-Handfasting-Tradition-Sacred/dp/1550224611
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When we are handfasted, as we term it, we are man and wife
for a year and a day; that space gone by, each may choose another
mate, or, at their pleasure, may call the priest to marry them for
life; and this we call handfasting." 
https://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_hand.htm
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handfasting

In the present day, some Neopagans practice this ritual. The marriage vows taken may be for "a year and a
day", a lifetime, "for all of eternity" or "for as long as love shall
last". Whether the ceremony is legal, or a private spiritual
commitment, is up to the couple. Depending on the state where the
handfasting is performed, and whether or not the officiant is a legally
recognized minister, the ceremony itself may be legally binding, or
couples may choose to make it legal by also having a civil ceremony.
Modern handfastings are performed for heterosexual or homosexual couples, as well as for larger groups in the case of polyamorous relationships. Currently, handfasting is a legal Pagan wedding ceremony in Scotland, but not in England, Wales or Ireland.
As with many Neopagan rituals, some groups may use historically
attested forms of the ceremony, striving to be as traditional as
possible, while others may use only the basic idea of handfasting and
largely create a new ceremony.
As many different traditions of Neopaganism use some variation on
the handfasting ceremony, there is no universal ritual form that is
followed, and the elements included are generally up to the couple
being handfasted. In cases where the couple belong to a specific
religious or cultural tradition, there may be a specific form of the
ritual used by all or most members of that particular tradition. The
couple may conduct the ceremony themselves or may have an officiant
perform the ceremony. In some traditions, the couple may jump over a
broom at the end of the ceremony. Some may instead leap over a small
fire together. Today, some couples opt for a handfasting ceremony in
place of, or incorporated into, their public wedding. As summer is the
traditional time for handfastings, they are often held outdoors.
A corresponding divorce ceremony called a handparting is sometimes practiced, though this is also a modern innovation. In a Wiccan handparting, the couple may jump backwards over the broom before parting hands.
As with more conventional marriage ceremonies, couples often exchange rings during a handfasting, symbolizing their commitment to each other. Many
couples choose rings that reflect their spiritual and cultural
traditions, while others choose plainer, more conventional wedding
rings.

History

Further information: Marriage in Scotland

The term is originally a loan from Old Norse hand-festa "to strike a bargain by joining hands".
The Council of Trent changed Roman Catholic marriage laws to require the presence of a
priest. This change did not extend to the regions affected by the Protestant Reformation, and in Scotland, marriage by consent remained in effect.
By the 18th century, the Kirk of Scotland no longer recognized marriages formed by mutual consent and subsequent
sexual intercourse, even though the Scottish civil authorities did.
This situation persisted until 1940, when Scottish marriage laws were
reformed.
In the 18th century, well after the term handfasting had passed out of usage, there arose a popular myth that it referred to a sort of "trial marriage". A.E. Anton, in Handfasting' in Scotland (1958) finds that the first reference to such a "trial marriage" is by Thomas Pennant in his 1790 Tour in Scotland. This report had been taken at face value throughout the 19th century, and was perpetuated e.g. in Walter Scott's 1820 novel The Monastery.

References

• Anton, A. E. "'Handfasting' in Scotland." The Scottish Historical Review 37, no. 124 (October 1958): 89-102.

External links

• Historical Handfasting


• Modern Handfasting Ceremony


• Handfasting Information- facts and beliefs


• Handfasting Information - celebrants

ALSO SEE     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaaOt3pSmXY
page: www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilenam...
page: www.scottish-master-of-wedding-ceremonies.co....

References:

1. Leigh M., "Witches Wed."  See: https://www.thetask.com/thresholds/handfastings/ This
   site once consisted of over 200 pages. Unfortunately, it is no longer
   accessible, as of 2003-MAR.


2. "The client page," at: https://members.aol.com/linville/science/index.htm 


3. "Movie information: Braveheart," at: https://www.macbraveheart.freeserve.co.uk/html/movie/


4. Unitarian Universalist Association has a web site at: https://www.uua.org They have a search facility for congregations in your area at: https://www.uua.org/CONG/congsrch.html 


5. Universal Life Church has a web site at: https://www.ulc.net/ 


6. Gerard Seenan, "Scottish marriage la mode offers Celt safety hatch,"
   The Guardian, 2000-MAY-30, at: https://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Scotland/Story/


7. "Medieval and renaissance wedding page," at: https://www.drizzle.com/~celyn/mrwp/mrwp.html 


8. "Rites of Passage," at: https://www.mindspring.com/~stardancer/passage.htm 


9. "PookLaRoux's Handfasting FAQ," at: https://www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/5005/fshfrite.html They have a moderated mailing list.


10. Some texts were copied from a Wiccan couple's handfasting ceremony. The
    origin(s) of the text is unknown.


11. Goddess Moon Circles has information on handfasting/marriage
    requirements in various states, and MUCH more. See: https://www.goddessmoon.org/ 


12. Mary Amanda lists the texts of three Wiccan
    rituals, including a
    handfasting. See: https://www.avana.net/~reannon/index.html#rituals


13. The Dallas - Ft. Worth Wedding Exchange has the text of a typical
    Pagan handfasting at: https://www.dfwx.com/medieval.html