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Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

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    Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

    My daughter is planning her wedding for next summer ( June 23rd) and to my surprise she want's a Pagan (she was raised catholic) wedding.
    She has included hand fasting and lots of other things. She has done researched on the topic put can't seem to find anything on how rings fit in tradition wise. Any help would be greatly appreciated on this subject.
    Gargoyles watch over me...I can hear them snicker in the dark.


    Pull the operating handle (which protrudes from the right side of the receiver) smartly to the rear and release it.

    #2
    Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

    Is it -super- important it be a pagan tradition? As far as I know, wedding rings have kind of transcended the idea of Christianity and become more universal in western culture. My Atheist friends wear them, Sikh friends from school wear them, Jewish friends wear them.....it doesn't seem to matter.....if she likes them, it's pretty and nice to wear, if not why bother at all?

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      #3
      Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

      Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
      Is it -super- important it be a pagan tradition? As far as I know, wedding rings have kind of transcended the idea of Christianity and become more universal in western culture. My Atheist friends wear them, Sikh friends from school wear them, Jewish friends wear them.....it doesn't seem to matter.....if she likes them, it's pretty and nice to wear, if not why bother at all?
      Agree completely!
      sigpic
      Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

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        #4
        Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

        Well, the tradition of giving a ring to a woman to symbolize marriage can be traced way back to ancient Egypt. The custom became quite popular with the pre-Christian Romans. The Christians picked it up the same way they picked up most things - from pagan originals (that's what they get for hanging around Rome for so long...). I'm not suggesting that they stole the idea; just that there was a lot more pre-Christian available than there was post-Christian to pick from, and nothing is created without precedence.

        So - wedding rings are not a Christian tradition exclusively, and their use has pagan roots. There's no reason not to have them if she wants them. I'd suggest going with the symbolism - the round ring without a break in it represents eternity, gold represents perfection, rings are worn on the hand which represents control, guidance, companionship, or assistance (depending on context).

        So all in all, the ring represents the idea of a perfect and eternal state of love and companionship. Seems like a fair target to shoot at, whether you're a pagan or a Christian, or a whatever.
        Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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          #5
          Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

          When my husband & I were handfasted, we exchanged 'promise rings' before the ceremony. During the ceremony, we were actually 'handfasted', meaning tied together at the wrist, and had to walk around for the rest of the ritual that way. The rings were a promise that in a year & a day we would formalize the relationship into a legal marriage - the tied wrists indicated that we were 'helpmeets'.

          It's an awesome and humbling experience if you have a shy bladder and are rather private about your bathroom business.
          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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            #6
            Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

            In a Celtic wedding ceremony, the fairy of the rings offers the ring to the couple.
            In other ceremonies, the couple union is symbolized by a rope of several threads.

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              #7
              Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

              Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
              Is it -super- important it be a pagan tradition? As far as I know, wedding rings have kind of transcended the idea of Christianity and become more universal in western culture. My Atheist friends wear them, Sikh friends from school wear them, Jewish friends wear them.....it doesn't seem to matter.....if she likes them, it's pretty and nice to wear, if not why bother at all?
              It's not super important, she is just trying to find if she has missed their tie into the ceremony she and her boy friend have planed.

              ---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------

              Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
              Well, the tradition of giving a ring to a woman to symbolize marriage can be traced way back to ancient Egypt. The custom became quite popular with the pre-Christian Romans. The Christians picked it up the same way they picked up most things - from pagan originals (that's what they get for hanging around Rome for so long...). I'm not suggesting that they stole the idea; just that there was a lot more pre-Christian available than there was post-Christian to pick from, and nothing is created without precedence.

              So - wedding rings are not a Christian tradition exclusively, and their use has pagan roots. There's no reason not to have them if she wants them. I'd suggest going with the symbolism - the round ring without a break in it represents eternity, gold represents perfection, rings are worn on the hand which represents control, guidance, companionship, or assistance (depending on context).

              So all in all, the ring represents the idea of a perfect and eternal state of love and companionship. Seems like a fair target to shoot at, whether you're a pagan or a Christian, or a whatever.
              My thanks to all of you, I'll show this to her.
              Last edited by Monk; 22 Jun 2011, 08:39.
              Gargoyles watch over me...I can hear them snicker in the dark.


              Pull the operating handle (which protrudes from the right side of the receiver) smartly to the rear and release it.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

                I usually wear my ring just so that it doesn't shock all of the ladies when I have to turn them down (yeah, right)

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                  #9
                  Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

                  I'm not big on jewelry, but the pieces I have all mean something...either they were given to me, I made them, or I bought them travelling. So something like a wedding ring sort of more plays into sentimentality to me rather than tradition (if i were married I'd love to have one! And it would have to be a special one!)

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                    #10
                    Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

                    To see some Pagan wedding/handfastings see this thread
                    http://www.paganforum.com/showthread...ing-Ceremonies

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                      #11
                      Re: Wedding Rings and their place in a Pagan wedding.

                      I think also, there's something to be said for making your own traditions. It's nice to follow ones that tie in with your history or your path but if you like something, why not weave it in and make it your own?

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