Wedding Customs & Traditions Forum

Handfasting knots

Any one know how to tie a handfasting knot?

Re: Handfasting knots

  • Page "handfast" - she can be very helpful.
  • Sorry to be so dense, but are you talking about the cord itself, or the "knot" that the officiant ties?  And I have to ask another, really personal question, too.  Are you a Pagan, or a muggle?  Because if you're a Pagan, and in a Coven, or even a solitary practitioner, the High Priestess performing your ceremony should instruct you as to what you need for your tradition. There are Handfasting cords for sale on the internet--but most are waaaaaay overpriced for what you get.  In true Pagan tradition, the cord should be braided by yourself and your FI.  It should be of natural fibers.  We used silk "rat tail" available at most crafts stores.  We bought 9 yards each of 9 colors. We braided 3 groups of three together, weaving in shells and stones that represented special things/meaning to us.  Each color of the cord had meaning, too.  Then we braided the 3 braids together, which left us with 1 yard of cord. Traditionally, there really is no "knot."  The cord is brought under your hands (you should be facing one another, right to right, left to left, like an infinity symbol from above) and placed OVER, but not tied, the top of your hands. Our ceremony is in my very old bio, under the photo album.  There's also a picture of our cord, wound around the candles used in the ceremony.  The High Priestess bound those for us.  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.   
    image Don't mess with the old dogs; age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
  • I'm not so sure about if this is a real tradition or not but I know a friend who is an officient and a sailor said that when a couple asked him to do a knot on their handfasting he used a double fishermans But a lot of neat knots are well described at this site. http://www.animatedknots.com/doublefishermans/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com
  • 1) I am a practicing pagan and have been for about 6 years now. 2) I am a solitary witch as there are no covens in my area. Yes we are making our own cords and yes Im talking about the knot the officiant ties. My officiant has never done one before because we are incorporating my religion into a christian ceremony and she is unsure about how to tie the knot
  • OK, so that makes it a little easier.  I'm Pagan too, and our ceremony was a full-on Pagan ceremony.  Many incorporate a couple of sentences that say something along the lines of the cord not being restrictive. . .   and that's why the cord is just laid over the tops of the hands. Just google "subtle handfasting" and a lot of ceremonies come uand they're subtle so that the Christians are not offended. 
    image Don't mess with the old dogs; age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
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