Wedding traditions with knots, cords and threads
Cords, threads and knots express the idea that two people are tied.
Cords, threads and knots express the idea that two people are tied. The phrase tying the knot is used in English and in many other languages, and some weddings carry it out literally.
Actual knots
In Hindu weddings the garments of the bride and groom are tied together in a gathbandhan, or the couple's hands are bound with a thread. In south India the mangalsutra is tied with three knots. In Sri Lanka the little fingers are tied in the poruwa ceremony. Handfasting in Britain and Ireland binds hands with a cord, and Scottish and Irish couples revive it today. In Mexico and the Philippines the lazo is looped around the couple's shoulders. In Thailand the sai monkhon is looped over both heads, and in China a red thread ties the couple's wedding cups.
Why a knot
A knot is a promise that can be seen. It is also a challenge, because a knot that can be tied can be untied, and some couples keep the cord afterwards. In Chinese tradition red knots, called zhongguo jie, are used for luck, and the story of the red thread of fate in China and Japan holds that soulmates are tied by an unseen cord.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Knots, cords and threads (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyWeddings in ancient Rome
The religious ceremonies and attire that marked a union in the city of Rome before the rise of Christianity.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic)
A pledge ceremony where a couple joins hands to make a binding marriage contract or engagement.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక
A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source