Tag: British Isles

The Pebble Toss is another Celtic wedding tradition tied heavily into the belief of sacredness of place, honoring one’s ancestors as well and honoring or at least diverting the ire of any of the fairy folk. This is in tune with the whole ‘wishing well’ phenomena as well.

In today’s parlance, it is all about luck and wishing the happy couple good fortune and prosperity. As with the Oathing Stone, well wishes, prayers and happy hopes for the couple are placed into a stone or in some cases, just thinking them was enough while holding a small stone. Next this stone is tossed into a nearby body of water such as a river, stream, lake, a well and so forth.

These symbolic tokens would please the ancestral spirits of the place who would then also add their blessing to the couple. Sometimes other small gifts would be offered as well, such as coins, food, drink and other items.

No one knows exactly how far back this practice goes but it seems to go back into prehistory, back when giants were often thought to rule the lands and even create them, such as the Goddess Cailleach, who would carry stones in her apron and when it would inevitably tear, the stones would fall, often creating mountains or trails of boulders we now attribute to the action of glaciers. In Scotland at least, moving across the British Isles and even into Galatia in Spain, such offerings are an appeasement to her for she was considered a rather vain being who’s ire it was good not to attract.

Sometimes, such gifts were given to appease trickster spirits of the fae who might wish to bring harm to the couple or jinx their chances at having children or be prosperous.

In the more modern version of this tradition, a helper may present a tray to each person in the wedding party who will then select a stone, make their prayer or wish and then cast their stone into the well, river or lake, adding their blessing to those of the bride and the groom. Often the stones may be colorful tumbled stones or simple little river pebbles.

This tradition obviously has it’s roots with the Oathing Stones, or perhaps the other way around, or perhaps they simply coincide. Whatever the case, seeking the blessing for the happy couple from the Otherworld was a time honored practice. So many wedding traditions are centered around this, it is often hard to keep track of them all.

Weddings are a time of seeking blessings of prosperity, happiness and a strong and vital lineage for the future. This is one reason why we have weddings. It is a communal event to celebrate a joining and all that it promises for the future. We want the best that can happen for all concerned.

The Pebble Toss, like dropping pennies into a wishing well or Oathing the Stone, throwing a bouquet, tossing coins rice, or other favors to the attendees, providing a fabulous feast and gifting the less fortunate from one’s old leavings of clothes and so forth is another way to bring blessing and prosperity to the newlyweds and to their lineage for years to come.

The oathing stone tradition goes far, far back into the Celtic spirit. The ancient Celts were often seafaring groups of tribes, who by the time they had reached the British Isles, had a very firm and strong relationship with the sea or at least the waters surrounding their homes. Celtic tribal people were, like many tribal folk in those times, severely tied to spirit of place. In fact many of the old tribal names are descriptive of a particular place or natural feature such as a lake, river, valley or mountain. In the Celtic world view, Spirits were associated with each of these places, often tied directly to the tribe. In many cases, these spirits were regarded as ancestral spirits of the forebears of the Celts living there now.

It was important to seek blessing and it was important to state intentions in the form of an oath. This often took place at these sacred locations, special to the various tribes. So, it was not uncommon for a couple to not get wed in the eyes of their people and their chief, but also in the eyes of their ancestors to help gain their blessing and protection for the new adventure before them.

One of the origins of the wedding vow is this process of oathing the stone. In ancient times, vows were given at the very place and some physical object was used to help transfer these oaths to the spirit energies present in this sacred location. Sometimes a stone was used. Other times a piece of wood or some other natural object. This them would be gifted to the sacred place in some fashion. Perhaps thrown into the lake by both the bride and groom, laid reverentially upon a cairn of similar vows in a glade, niche or hollow. Perhaps thrown over a cliff into the sea far below.

As Celts became Christianized, such traditions, while allowed in the early Church, began to be cracked down upon and treated as idolatry and pagan worship. Yet with the Celts (and many other tribal folk, really) old ways died hard and what became a serious obligation of honoring one’s lineage and ancestry, slowly changed to a quaint and novel custom.

With the emergence of the New Age type of perspective, such traditions have been slowly coming back into favor and the meanings have subtly changed to be declared an honoring of the spirit of place, or a charm for luck and prosperity. In ancient times, it would be extremely bad form to neglect one’s ancestors on such a propitious day as a day of wedding. The Oathing Stone was but one way of honoring them.

In the more modern version of this ritual, the officiant (minister/priest) will be presented the stone by a member of the wedding party. The Best Man, The Chief Maiden perhaps or a parent of the Bride or Groom. The officiant will hold the stone and invite the groom to lay his hands onto the stone, and therewith give consent to in the presence of all of his ancestors both living and dead to bear witness to the words of power that he will speak. The words of his personal commitment to the woman he loves by the vows he brings forward. The same invitation is made to the Bride. Once both are holding the stone, they each recite their vows to one another.

Once complete, the stone is placed in a place of honor for the remainder of the ceremony. After the ceremony is complete, the newly married company release the stone back to the elements by whatever means is felt as being the most appropriate. Some people may toss it into the sea or the lake or river. Others may lay it upon a mountain or a man made cairn. Still others may wish to keep the stone and add it to the garden of the new home they make together or in a prominent location within their home.

If you are serious about your Celtic roots, this tradition is a great piece to add to your wedding ceremony and indeed to other of life’s little and great ceremonies, like naming your children, their coming of age, celebrating all the important times in their lives and yours, marking the passing of loved ones and so forth.

Oathing the Stone, while by today’s standards is a quaint little custom, it was in ancient days, a very serious part of many Celtic Tribe’s spiritual life.

Slainte!