Pagan and ancient wedding traditions

Pagan and ancient wedding customs cover two different things: rites from the ancient world, such as Roman, Greek and Norse weddings, and the modern revival of Wicca, Druidry and Heathenry. It is easy to claim a long ancestry for a custom, and this page tries to be careful about what is attested and what is a modern creation.

Ancient roots

Roman weddings had the bride wearing a flame-coloured veil, flammeum, a joining of right hands, the dextrarum iunctio, and a procession to the groom's house, where she was carried over the threshold. Greek weddings included a bridal bath, a procession in a chariot and a veil removal, the anakalypteria. Norse sources describe the use of a hammer to bless the bride, though how widely is debated, and Celtic practices are less well documented than popular books suggest.

Handfasting

Handfasting, now a popular ceremony in which the couple's hands are bound with a cord, is often described as ancient Celtic. The historical evidence is mixed. In medieval Scotland and the north of England, a handfast was a betrothal or a form of marriage by consent, and the ribbon binding seen today is largely a modern revival from the twentieth century and later, with a literary and neopagan history.

The modern revival

Wiccan and pagan weddings may include a circle, quarters, an altar, a broom and a ring blessed in turn. Many Druid and Heathen groups hold their own rites, and in the UK, Scotland and some US states pagan celebrants are authorised to marry. Practices vary widely between groups, and many couples combine elements from several traditions.