{"id":54831,"date":"2019-12-18T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=54831"},"modified":"2024-08-07T14:25:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T18:25:54","slug":"irish-wedding-traditions-and-customs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/irish-wedding-traditions-and-customs.html","title":{"rendered":"Irish Wedding Traditions and Customs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Irish are known for many things \u2013 their luck (or, historically speaking, lack thereof), ability to drink, gift of gab, literature, music, St. Patrick\u2019s Day, their goodbyes, and much more. But when we put a magnifying glass over their culture, including the customs and traditions, it\u2019s their weddings that are most pronounced. So, what are some Celtic wedding traditions?<\/p>\n

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Photo: Luggala, Wicklow, Ireland. Credit: Miriel of Chaos; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tying the Knot\/Handfasting<\/strong><\/p>\n

An ancient Celtic tradition that has been around since the Middle Ages, handfasting is the practice of tying the hands of the betrothed together. In ancient times, this could occur days before the wedding. Two lovers could spend days together with their hands tied, all in an effort to deduce whether they truly wanted to spend their life in union.<\/p>\n

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Photo: a pair of wedding rings. Credit: Jeff Belmonte; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With modern weddings, this tradition is usually reserved for the wedding day itself, executed before, during, or after vows.<\/p>\n

Brehon Law<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brehon law, statutes first set forth in the 7th century within Gaelic areas, categorized handfasting as an official form of marriage. These laws were done away with once Elizabeth I further pushed English expansion in Ireland.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Redwood Castle, County Tipperary, although built by the Normans, was later occupied by the MacEgan juristic family and served as a school of Irish law under them. Credit: Steve Ford Elliott; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, if you\u2019re ever at an Irish wedding (or one that has threads of the Irish) and witness the bride and groom brought to union by their hands being tied, know that the soon-to-be-married couple is paying homage to an ancient tradition that has survived for centuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Goose Is Cooked\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In centuries prior, on the day before the wedding or once the engagement was announced, the bride\u2019s family would invite the groom over for supper. There, they would cook a goose in his honor and \u2013 in the 19th century and earlier \u2013 they\u2019d also sign contracts and land rights that bound the two together (legally). Once the goose was cooked, it signified the solidification of the groom\u2019s decision to marry the bride.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u201cWoman and Girl Preparing Goose,\u201d 1915. Credit: OSU Special Collections & Archives; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thus, today, when you hear someone say \u201chis goose is cooked,\u201d that\u2019s the Irish heritage\u2019s way of saying \u201cthere\u2019s no going back.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of customs and traditions, at the pre-wedding dinner party, a goose can be cooked to honor the Irish heritage.<\/p>\n

The Claddagh Ring<\/strong><\/p>\n

Claddagh was a small fishing village right outside the old city walls of Galway city. It\u2019s said that a famous blacksmith (who was bought by his master after his entire crew was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery) showed enough promise in the trade that his master offered him half his wealth and his daughter\u2019s hand in marriage. Over the years, he set aside small pieces of gold dust and eventually melted them all into one ring: the Claddagh Ring.<\/p>\n

The traditional Claddagh Ring features two hands clasping a crowned heart, symbolic of love, loyalty, and commitment.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Claddagh Ring. Credit: Royalcladdagh; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, Claddagh Rings are passed down from grandmothers and mothers to their granddaughters and daughters. If it\u2019s worn on the right hand, then the bearer is single and currently seeking love. If it\u2019s on the left hand, she\u2019s married. It\u2019s often a gift that\u2019s handed down from Irish ancestors<\/a> and used as the wedding ring, in which case the groom does not need to purchase one.<\/p>\n

Locking the Door<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you take the \u201ctying the knot\u201d tradition into consideration, then you learn of this \u201clocking the door\u201d tradition, you begin to deduce that perhaps Irish grooms were, well, squirrelly. For a bit of humor, a common wedding tradition in Irish culture is to \u2013 once the wedding ceremony has commenced \u2013 lock the doors of the church in case the groom catches a case of \u201ccold feet\u201d and attempts to flee the scene.<\/p>\n

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Photo: door at Church House (COI Diocese of Armagh), Abbey Street, Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Credit: Ardfern; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, for those of you men having a traditional Irish wedding, if you decide to make a run for it at the marriage ceremony, the door might fight back when you try to push through it. It might be too late for you to not marry the bride!<\/p>\n

Discover Your Traditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

While this article is only scratching the surface of Irish wedding traditions and customs, it has a bit of everything \u2013 the ring that\u2019s passed down through generations, the knot, a goose that locks the betrothed into marriage prior to the wedding ceremony, and the church-turned-prison in case a groom decides to run.<\/p>\n

If you have Irish in your blood, these wedding traditions and customs might be something you consider when the wedding bells ring and you \u201ctie the knot.\u201d Not only are they wonderful to incorporate, but they tell a story of a time before, one that contained the very people who brought you into being.<\/p>\n

And if you find great interest in these old traditions, it might be worth researching your Irish family history<\/a> to learn more. Unlocking your Irish family history might bring you more information than you were expecting.<\/p>\n

And genealogy, like love, is all about discovering that which was always there, just hidden.<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

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