| Wedding traditions offer richness and color to enrich | | | | wedding vows, make your vows between the |
| your wedding ceremony and to transform your life! | | | | burning of the black and the donning of the white. |
| And what's more fun is that they can be remade to | | | | - During the wedding ceremony: build two fires (which |
| suit your life. | | | | you can do in pots) and walk between them (singly) |
| In Northern Europe on the night of April 30th, towns | | | | on your way to the altar. In this way, all who stand |
| and villages build huge bale-fires and everyone turns | | | | with you can be purified of hurts and |
| out to celebrate the return of spring. In ancient | | | | disappointments. Put an announcement in the |
| Scandinavian cultures there were only two seasons: | | | | program, or have the wedding celebrant announce |
| Winter and Summer. Summer started May First. In | | | | the meaning. And then for the recessional, walk |
| our culture the May Day is also known as the start | | | | between the fire, hand in hand, on your way to your |
| of the agricultural season Beltane . | | | | new life. |
| Originally, people threw off their black clothes and | | | | - During the wedding reception: Provide a pile of |
| burned them as a signal that winter was finally gone. | | | | strips of black cloth. Invite people to make knots in |
| (probably did a lot to get rid of vermin too, but that's | | | | the fabric for each thing they would like to release. |
| more realism than we're looking for on your wedding | | | | Keep the fires burning through the party. (and use |
| day! The fires were also used to burn off the winter | | | | pots of sprouting grass as your centerpieces as a |
| stubble in the fields so that the planting could start. | | | | reminder that life and love are returning to the land |
| Here's how you can use a bonfire at your late spring | | | | with the sun! This is a wonderful and fairly easy ritual |
| early summer wedding to symbolize the letting go of | | | | that is incredibly beautiful and very powerful. Fire is |
| the old and the taking on of the new: | | | | mesmerizing. Every time you see fire after that, you |
| - During the wedding ceremony: take a strip of cloth, | | | | will remember. |
| knot it for the things you're going to release, and | | | | VERY IMPORTANT: If you are going to do any |
| cast it into the fire. (Remember the cloth needs to | | | | version of this ritual, you must have a fire keeper for |
| be cotton, linen or silk so you're not putting out | | | | every moment the fire is lit. A bucket of water and |
| polyester fumes!) Have a married couple wrap a | | | | a bucket of sand must also be available to put the |
| length of white ribbon around you as a symbol of the | | | | fire out. Check with your venue to see if what |
| new life you will share together. (Do this before your | | | | you're going to do is legal. |