While an assistant many years ago, I witnessed a handfasting ceremony and it was a beautiful sight to see.  The tradition is simply lovely – so I wanted to share it with you.

A handfasting is an old Pagan custom dating back to the ancient Celts.  The original handfasting was a trial marriage – where the couple would declare their love for a year and a day.  After the year passes, the couple could decide to go their separate ways or enter into marriage.

Today’s Wiccan and Pagan communities have embraced the handfasting ritual.

Handfasting is no different than other wedding ceremonies, in that there are variations.  However, what’s common is that after intent has been declared, the hands or writs of the couple are bound together with a cord(s) during or surrounding the vows.  The handfasting knot that is tied symbolizes the oneness between the couple.

The length of the cord is determined by the path that is followed by the individal Pagan or Wiccan sect, the Bride and/or Groom, or the High Priest/ess that presides over the ceremony.  The numbers 9 and 3 are magical, so traditionally, the cords are 9 feet in length (or 3 meters) and are  knotted at both ends.

Generally three cords are used, and each cord is a different color which corresponds to the Wiccan color magic chart.  The Bride and Groom choose the colors based on what the colors mean.

White

Always burn at least one white candle to symbolize and reinforce the contact with pure spirit. Elemental spirits, Angels, Gods of wisdom, divination and prophecy. Purification and cleaning on all levels, contact with higher self and spiritual helpers, aura-healing, truth seeking, consecration, spiritual enlightenment, protection against negativity, breaking curses, exorcism, meditation, divination, inpiration, and clairvoyance. White can be a replacement for any other color.

Yellow

Elemental air. Deities for trade, travel, knowledge and magick. Vitality, change, progress, contact, communication, and trade. Confidence, joy, cheerfulness, learning, knowledge, mental clarity, concentration, speaking and writing and visualization.

Gold

Sun-deities, solar energies, and masculine energy. Abundant self confidence, creativity, perfection, financial richess, success in investments, luxury, worldly power, magickal power, overcoming bad habits and addictions.

Orange

Deities of good luck and good fortune. Charm, kindness, encouragement, stimulation, optimism, success, abundance, prosperity, feast and celebration, achieving business goals, investments, success in legal matters.

Copper or Bronze

Love-goddesses, love and passion, positive relationships in love, friendship in business, career promotions, successful negotiations.

Red

Elemental fire, deities of love, passion, sexuality and war. Courage, will-power, determination, speed, assertivity, aggression, masculinity, independence, physical strength, sports, competition, conflicts, health, sexual attraction and potency, love and passion, fertility.

Magenta

Magnetism, the ability to attract or speed up results. Life purpose, life path.

Pink

Love-goddesses, softness and tenderness, romance, caring, nurturing, youth, peace, friendship, femininity, emotional love, emotional healing.

Green

Elemental earth and elemental water. Nature and fertility deities, Mother goddesses. Nature, fertility, growth, rejuvenation, recovery, healing, harvest and abundance, prosperity, harmony, balance, peace, hope, home, plants and animals.

Turquoise

Changes, intellectual and intuitive insights, inventions and originality, renewal, brotherhood, humananity.

Blue

Elemental water and elemental air. Deities of the sea and sky, truth and wisdom. Peace and tranquility, calmness, truth, wisdom, justice, counsel, guidance, understanding and patience, loyalty and honor, sincerity, devotion, healing, femininity, prophetic dreams, protection during sleep, astral projection.

Violet

Elemental spirits, angels, and Gods of divination and prophecy. Psychic abilities, divination, counter-acting negativity and black magick, reversing curses, psychic healing, psychic power, inspiration, meditation, spirituality, spiritual power, astral projection, third eye.

Brown

Elemental earth, stability, grounding, conservation, protection of household, family and pets, healing animals, finding lost objects, buildings, material increase, to make relationships solid, to increase decisiveness and concentration, to attract help in financial crisis.

Gray

Neutralizing negative influences, putting a halt to action.

Silver

Moon-goddesses, female energy, cycles, rebirth, reincarnation, healing of hormonal imbalances, emotional stability, remove or neutralize negativity, intuition, dreams, psychic abilities and psychic workings.

Black

Elemental earth, deities of the Underworld. Repel and banish evil and negativity, protection, breaking free from bad habits and addictions, deep meditation, opens up deep unconscious levels.

This is a beautiful tradition that can be adapted to any ceremony.  Lovely!

Thank you to Handfasting.org as well as the Wiccan Color Magick Chart.

Happy planning.