Outline of our Handfasting

Please check out my position on paganism as well as what handfasting means to me.

NOTE: The symbolism that I write here is my own interpretation. This does not necessarily mean that the majority of pagans (or any, for that matter) interpret it the same.

Also note that this ritual have been designed by Laam and I, and might therefore deviate from more "standard" pagan hand-fasting rituals.

The people involved are listed at the end.

RITUAL:

1. Hoi and Peter enter from East, and proceed clockwise to South Quarter
2. Nagymama and Zoltan enter from East, and proceed clockwise to North Quarter
3. Devyn and Jennifer enter from East and proceed directly to center
4. Sofus(with lit green candle), Käthe and Tivadar enter from East and proceed clockwise to West Quarter
5. Laam(with lit white candle), Chun Yee and Wing Yuk enter from East and proceed clockwise to East Quarter
6. Intro Speech from Devyn and Jennifer on what is going on in terms of the pagan ritual. Give people the option of leaving the circle if they do not want to be part of the ritual
7. Hoi sweeps the circle (East clockwise back to East).
   This is the symbolism of a maiden cleaning the circle of all bad feelings or other bad impressions.
8. Jennifer casts the circle.
   This makes the circle a sacred place, setting it up for the ritual.
9. Statement of Intent (why are we here)
   Jennifer: This is a time of joy. May this place be concecrated before the gods of nature. We gather the community in celebration of the loving union which Laam and Sofus have created in their lives, and so we ask them to come before us.
10. Presentation:
    Laam and Sofus are being presented as the two people getting married.

    Devyn:

    Who brings Laam to her wedding?

    Laam's parents:

    We do, with love

    Jennifer:

    Who brings Sofus to his wedding?

    Sofus' parents:

    We do, with love

    Devyn:

    You've come here today to state your love for one another in the company of your family, friends and the gods. We welcome you.
    

    Sofus and Laam each light their candle.
11. Calling of Quarters:
    (This is the symbolism of calling down certain spirits and aspects of personality that Laam and I find important for this particular ritual)
    1. Chun Yee and Wing Yuk call the East in Chinese.
       (Woo Shing-Kwon will translate to english)
    2. Hoi and Peter call the South in English.
    3. Käthe and Tivadar call the West in Danish.
       (Philip will translate to english)
    4. Nagymama and Zoltan call the North in Hungarian.
       (Kati Macskassy will translate to english)
12. The four pairs take their place in the inner circle.
13. Calling of Deities
    (Same symbolism as in calling of quarters)
14. Devyn and Jennifer give a talk on Marriage and Handfasting
15. Blessings and Admonitions
    Hoi annoints the bride and groom,
    Peter says the blessings
16. Elders[Grandparents, Parents, others] say their piece
17. Peter and Hoi say a few of their own words.
18. Bless Rings
19. Sofus says his vows, end by giving Laam the ring.
20. Laam says her vows, end by giving Sofus the ring.
21. Laam and Sofus take their respective candles and light the Union Candle (red big candle on altar).
22. Fastening of Hands
    (This tying us together symbolises that we are committing to each other and cannot be separated since we are tied together)
23. Symbolic Great Rite
    (The traditional pagan symbolism here is that of the most sacred, namely the coming together of the All-Mother and All-Father to give birth to the universe. "As above, so below", as in "Macro-Cosm" so in "Micro-Cosm". The symbolic great rite is signifying the same, namely two people coming together to give birth to a new life, in Laam's and my case our marriage.)
24. Wine and Cake.
    For everybody, if time permits, otherwise only inner circle.
    Well, we are a community, and sharing and being together is a big thing for Laam and I as well as for pagans.
25. Open the Ritual
    This includes thanking the Deities and the spirits of the four Quarters for coming.
26. Laam and Sofus jump the Broom and leave to the East (disappear for a symbolic minute or two?)
    (The symbolism of jumping the broom is that by doing the jump, we jump into a new life, leaving behind all bad feelings or other emotional junk that we have been carrying around).
27. The inner circle leaves:
    North, then West, then South, then East, then Devyn and Jennifer.
28. That's it, we're done.

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People involved:

Jennifer Hamilton:	Priestess
Devyn C. Gillette:	Priest
Laam Wong:	Bride
Sofus Attila Macskássy:	Groom
Macskássy Tivadarné (Nagymama):	Groom's Grandmother
Dr. Török Zoltán :	Groom's God Father
Chun Yee Lee:	Bride's Mother
Wing Yuk Wong:	Bride's Father
Käthe-Aase Macskássy:	Groom's Mother
Tivadar Istvan Lajos Macskássy:	Groom's Father
Hoi (Iris) Wong:	Maid of Honor (Bride's sister)
Peter Tivadar Macskássy:	Best Man (Groom's older brother)
Ewa So:	Bridesmaid (friend of Bride)
Philip Hjelmborg:	Groomsman (friend of Groom)
Woo Shing-Kwon:	Translater, quarter of East (Friend of couple)
Katalin Macskássy	Translater, quarter of North (Aunt of groom)