Handfasting
A ceremony in which the couple's hands are bound with a cord or ribbon, now popular in Scotland and elsewhere.
Also: hand-fasting, tying the knot
Handfasting in Scotland historically meant an informal betrothal or a marriage by declaration before witnesses, which was valid in Scots law into the eighteenth century in the form of irregular marriage. In recent decades it has become a popular ceremony in Scotland, Britain, North America and elsewhere, in which the couple's hands are wrapped with a cord or ribbon while they speak their vows. This is the origin of the phrase tying the knot, as popularly told, though that etymology is uncertain. Modern handfastings are often symbolic, alongside a legal wedding.
Region: Europe