Lasso the Bride
Giving a new meaning to "tying the knot", the Mexican wedding tradition of using a Lasso (Lazo) chord to join the bride and groom together, is similar to the ancient Celtic tradition of handfasting.
In a typical Mexican-Catholic ceremony, once the bride and groom have said their vows, and have knelt before the priest for their nuptial blessing, or for the reciting of a wedding prayer, a large loop of intricate beads is placed in a figure eight shape around the necks or the wrists of the wedding couple. With the symbolism of the figure eight meant to represent infinity.
The Lasso of beads used in the ceremony is typically given by one set of parents, or by a respected and long wed couple that the bride and groom are both close with. Blessed with holy water by the priest three times in honor of the holy trinity, the act of lassoing the bride and groom can be done by the priest or by those that presented the couple with their lasso and are worn throughout the remainder of the ceremony.
The symbolism of the lasso is to show the union and protection of marriage and the love that binds a couple as they equally share in the responsibility of their marriage.
In religious ceremonies, the lasso might also be represented by a double rosary, which following the ceremony would be presented to the bride, who would then hang the rosary in the couple's home as a reminder of their special bond and commitment.
While the lasso ceremony is most often used as a religious representation of a couple's commitment, many couples who are looking to pay homage to their Catholic or cultural Mexican roots are implementing the practice even if their wedding is a civil union done outside the walls of the church.
While not all pastors outside of the Catholic Church are comfortable performing this ceremony, many will still allow couples a brief intercession whereby a special member of the wedding party can perform the lassoing shortly after the vows. If this too is not allowed in your church or place of worship, you may consider doing this ceremony later that day during the reception; a practice that would also make the giving of rosary beads or a similar strand of decorative beads an understood and accepted favor option.
Today's bridal couples in addition to the vows they make verbally are often looking for a way to visually and symbolically represent their commitment to one another. If you are looking for just such a ceremony, look to the lasso as the perfect way to tie the knot.
©2009 Weddingstar Inc.
