Tying the knot

I'm sure you have heard the expression "tying the knot" but did you know that it refers to the tradition of handfasting ?

In early times a handfasting marked the first stage of marriage - a temporary contract lasting a year and a day.  If at the end of this time no child had been born and the couple did not want to continue the betrothal lapsed.

Today we see forms of handfasting in many different types of wedding and commitment ceremonies. The joining of hands with ribbons, scarf or cord symbolises the tying together of two people's lives and their acknowledgment that their  destinies are bound together.

The different colours used also have different meanings.  For more information about this please visit my facebook page and open "notes".