Handfasting Traditions

There was a tradition in Ireland concerning Teltown Marriages that were trial marriages of a year and a day entered into at Lughnasadh. Another name for Teltown Marriages is a Brehon Marriage and to some degree has been confused, in simpler terms, with the tradition of handfasting. At the end of the contractual handfast period, the marriage could be ended, without cause or recourse, or perhaps renewed in many different ways.

In fact, this is the simplistic viewpoint. The Celts were much more diverse and varied in their approach to legally uniting men and women. The ancient Irish were very conscious of the need for clear-cut requirements and rights when it came to marriage. In fact, they had 10 different degrees of marriage. Any relationship which resulted in the birth of a child, was considered to be a marriage in order to insure the rights of the child. The three highest degrees of marriage required a prenuptial contract agreeable to both parties. A woman married using such a contract was considered to be an "official" wife. Most of these degrees of marriage were opposed by the Church, especially those that could be considered as concubinage or temporary in nature.

Among the ancient Gael, grounds for divorce were about as liberal as in today's society. Marriages that weren't working due to infertility, impotence, abandonment or cruelty were frequently ended within the legal system called Brehon Law.

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• Handfasting,  when the bride and groom's wrists are tied together with a ceremonial ribbon, is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Tying the knot is said to have originated from the bride and groom ripping their wedding plaids (clan tartans) and tying the two strips together as a symbol of the unity of the two families. Up until 1940, couples who handfasted were considered legally married. These days some Irish couples still choose to incorporate handfasting into their wedding ceremony.