The following information was sourced from Terry MacEwen’s article, “Scottish Wedding Traditions,” as published on the site, Historic UK, an online magazine dedicated to the history and heritage of the UK. MacEwen characterizes the traditions in heteronormative terms, with couples composed of a bride and a groom.
TYING THE KNOT or HAND-FASTING
Tying the knot or hand-fasting is a custom used to demonstrate the union of a couple in marriage in cultures around the globe; the custom is understood to have originated as a Scottish custom in medieval times. The custom involves taking two strips of cloth—usually, the couple’s clan tartans, but “scarves and even dog-leads have been used for this purpose”—and twisting them together. Terry MacEwen, of Historic UK, describes the custom:
“The person conducting the wedding ceremony will position the bride and groom’s hands one over the other and then tie their wrists together with the fabric, and with some impressive maneuvering and manipulating, will cause the fabric to be tied in a knot as the couples pull their hands apart and the fabric fastens tightly together in a knot.”
The physical knot is often kept, sometimes framed and mounted, as a keepsake of the union. The custom is referred to as “the hand-fasting ceremony” in Scotland and is “legally recognized as part of a legitimate marriage ceremony in Scotland to this day.”
PAYING THE PIPER
The playing of bagpipes has romantic connotations at modern weddings. A traditional that is beautiful and thought to be lucky, the playing of bagpipes typically accompanies the couple to dinner. Terry MacEwen, of Historic UK, speaks of the reasoning of the tradition: “The skirl of the bagpipes was thought by many to scare away any evil spirits that may be hovering nearby, and in this way the piper’s music would protect the bride and groom as they entered into their marriage and bless it with good luck.”
In order for the custom to be effective, the piper must be paid for their services with a dram of whisky, in a kind of contract. MacEwen explains, “Once he has seen the bride and groom safely to the top table he is toasted by the groom and ‘paid’ in a dram of whisky [in a Quaich], legitimizing the contract and thus ensuring that the protection offered by the piper’s music was effective.”
HAVING A DRAM
A tradition observed in both traditional and modern Scottish weddings, drinking a dram, or a small quantity of liquid, of whisky from a Quaich is done to bless the marriage. A Quaich is “a two-handled silver or pewter dish, often given to the couple as a wedding present and engraved with the date of the wedding.” Traditionally, whisky was used to fill the Quaich, but modern ceremonies feature any drink, from “Irn Burn, [a Scottish carbonated drink], to warm beer or cold tea.” During the ceremony, the Quaich is filled, and after the couple is legally married, the couple “seals the wedding” with a drink. Terry MacEwen, of Historic UK, characterizes the custom as heteronormative, with the bride drinking first and the groom finishing whatever the bride has not consumed. MacEwen notes, about the Quaich:
“A Quaich is used for a specific reason however, and not just because it represents beautiful Celtic design—no, the Quaich must be held with both hands. This is extremely important as historically a marriage would often join two Scottish clans together, and these clans were not always on speaking terms. Because the Quaich had to be drunk with both hands it showed trust in the opposite clan and was a mark of honour and respect. The reason being if both hands were on the Quaich, neither were holding a weapon! Traditionally the Quaich would have been handed round all of the clan leaders present after the bride and groom had drunk their fill. Today, it is usually passed around anyone and everyone in the wedding who wants a dram!”
