Handfasting Greetings Card by Christopher Bell

These days, contemporary Celts, neo-pagans and others interested in alternative marriage ceremonies have adopted the tradition of handfasting, which involves binding the hands of the couple with ribbon or cord in a public to symbolize marriage vows. The tradition itself, however, is to believe to be ancient, deriving from Celtic tribes that were widespread in Europe before Christianity.  Since that time, handfasting has been a practiced over generations, with many variations.

The term, handfasting, is from late medieval times, deriving from Old Norse: hand-festa, which means to strike a bargain by joining hands. The notion of a handshake comes from the old tradition of hand fasting; and even today, let’s shake on it, can represent a vow of sorts.