Handfasting

by Mary Neasham

  By the time you get to taking official photographs people will be getting hungry, so keep it brief and efficient. I would recommend a large group photo, followed by bride and family, then groom and family, ending with bride and groom as the basic requirements. A close-up of the bride and groom’s bound hands is a nice touch and one couple I know of thought this was the best photo of their hand-fasting. Adding this image to the bottom of your certificate, if you have one, is also a wonderful idea and can look stunning.

  Of Minstrels and Music Traditionally any feast held by our ancestors, no matter how poor or humble, had music. Whether it was the beat of the Irish bodhran (pronounced boran), or a simple tune played on the penny whistle, it all adds to the occasion. For modern-day pagans the options are more extensive and many couples choose a complete musical accompaniment.

  In choosing your tunes be thoughtful of the path or tradition you are on and any traditional music associated with it. There are a great number of Celtic music recordings and musicians to choose from, for example, so if you don’t already know what you want then check out your local music shop and ask to listen to a few in advance.

  Ceilidh (pronounced cailee) bands are very popular for all sorts of occasions and for those of you having a Celtic theme these are entirely appropriate and great fun for your guests. They are similar to square dancing and everyone physically capable is encouraged to get up and join in.

  You can of course use any music you like. Whether it’s a prerecorded tape put together specially for the event or a live band, it doesn’t matter, but live music is better and more in keeping.

  Most bands or musicians will expect to be paid for their hard work and it’s important to allow for this in your budget. They will definitely appreciate lubrication, so keep them stocked up with drinks throughout the day and delegate this responsibility to someone. I personally feel the ritual itself should be fairly quiet, and maybe an opening tune and closing one is all that will be necessary. But if you want to go the whole hog and have it fully orchestrated then go ahead. Even if all you can afford is an acoustic folk singer it will still add another element of magic to the day. Traditional folk music is not everyone’s cup of tea so bear in mind that you can choose any type of music you want providing it is happy and positive and preferably of love.

  5

  Hand-Fasting Hand-Feasting

  Our ancestors especially welcomed feasting days and most would have observed the seasonal feasts as well as any additional rites of passage, with burial feasts being the most important. These days were an opportunity for the tribe or village to share the best of their produce and entertain visitors from other tribes and villages. By Anglo-Saxon times a day of fasting would precede the feast day as a mark of respect for both the newly adopted Christian God and, for those of more traditional persuasion, the old gods and goddesses of their ancestors.

  As I have mentioned frequently, hand-fasting rituals would most likely be incorporated into the seasonal feasts of Beltane or Easter and Lammas or harvest time. Although I can find no accurate records of specific hand-fasting feasts, there are sources we can draw from to discover exactly what was eaten. The Anglo-Saxon period, particularly, has records of feasts and the food available, but to look farther back we have to rely on our imaginations, backed up with what little archaeological evidence remains.

  Regional and seasonal variations occur throughout Britain, as with the rest of the pagan world. Pork was unlikely to have been consumed during summer months due to its tendency to go off rather quickly. Meat was a luxury and beef (mainly veal), goose, lamb, venison, and chicken were the most popular used for feasting. If born into a large wealthy household, then you could expect the larger cuts of meat, but for the poorer folk (the majority) then meats such as chicken, rabbit and possibly lamb were alternatives. Only the richer folk could afford to roast or spit their joints, and boiling was the preferred method for poorer people as it ensured all the meat was used and there was little in the way of waste. Even the bones of the animal would be chopped to release the nutritional marrow, something these days we prefer to feed to our dogs!

  Whenever possible people cooked outdoors, as this prevented the home from becoming smoke filled and was less of a fire risk.

  Richer folk would employ a cook, usually male, and may have also had a baker and dairy person, usually female. It was not unheard of for the kings of Saxon times and before to call in outside caterers. These were people paid to cook various dishes on the day of the feast. It’s amazing to think that the average burger van is continuing such an ancient custom! Bread would have constituted the bulk of the meal, with the normal unleavened or flat bread being replaced with raised, possibly incorporating fruits and spices for the occasion.

  What people ate then largely depended on their location and what was seasonally available. For example, if you lived near the coast then you would expect fish and other sea food to make up a large part of your diet. Similarly, if living inland on poor soil, then you might expect more in the way of rye bread, pulses and nuts to make up your diet. For the majority, food consisted of bread and poorer types of meat such as pigeons, hedgehogs, etc. Birds would sometimes be baked encased in their own clay wrap which served two purposes, one that it ensured the bird remained whole throughout cooking and the other that the clay once removed took the feathers with, it saving them the job of plucking fiddly birds.

  Although we may squirm at some of the foods and methods of cooking, we must remember they knew no different, and apart from times of famine and poor harvest, probably enjoyed a healthier lifestyle.

  From dental evidence of over one thousand years ago it seems our ancestors knew little of sweet things, and even by AngloSaxon times these were rare luxuries not eaten to extremes, as it was thought too much in the way of sweet-meats led to gluttony. In these times of childhood dental decay and increasing diabetes, we could do well to emulate some of the more appetising aspects of our ancestors’ diets. The most likely sweets consumed on wedding days were milk custards with fruits, much like our modern egg custard tart.

  They used whatever herbs and spices were available locally, but great store was set by them both for their healing abilities and for their ability to season and flavour foods which otherwise could be virtually unpalatable.

  One of the most prized possessions in Tudor times, and before, we presume, was pepper. This humble seasoning cost the earth as it had to travel from the east to reach our shores, and if you had it in your larder you were wealthy indeed.

  Salt was more readily available and used for preservation of meat, hence salted meat was the most commonly consumed. It would have been soaked in fresh water for many hours—sometimes a whole day—until as much salt as possible was removed, and then chopped into small pieces and added to the proverbial stew. This stew formed the basis of the diet and was cooked in large pots or cauldrons made of iron, or copper if you were rich. Cooks of the time needed strong arms to lift these great weights, especially once filled.

  Breads and sweetmeats could be cooked on flat pans (not dissimilar to frying pans) laid directly on top of the fire under the main cooking pot. Apart from the very rich, nearly everybody was involved in some way in the production of food and drink, which was the most important consideration. They don’t seem to have worried too much over the amounts and there is little evidence for any careful weighing of ingredients where the common folk were concerned, but cooks working for lords and kings would have had scales to weigh ingredients out, as they had more to play with in the first place. It seems to a large extent the majority of our pagan ancestors cooked by eye and experience.

  They did concern themselves with quantities of fuel required, and in one recorded event from Anglo-Saxon times it is noted that they reckoned on about 15 cwt of fuel for 120 lb of pig to be used. The fuel used for the cooking pot or spit would be whatever was locally available, with woods of all types being the most popular. Wood was still in surplus supply in most areas of Britain, and all wood burns,
but they weren’t wasteful. The better timber was kept for building and only the brash or ends of the tree was bundled into faggots for burning. Charcoal was also produced and used for fuel, again using the poorer quality wood not suitable for other purposes.

  Some parts of England had suffered from deforestation by Tudor times, mainly due to ship building and general use, so peat was dug and dried for burning—something that continues in parts of Ireland to this day.

  There were several beverages consumed by our ancestors: water, milk or whey, ale, mead, fruit juices, wine and herbal infusions. Wine was the highest on the list with water at the bottom. I think it highly likely that richer hand-fastings would have almost certainly drunk wine, with the poorer folk sticking to mead or apple cider brewed especially for the day. It is important to note that our native ciders are generally very high in alcohol, with Cornish scrumpy thought to be the strongest and not the innocent fruit juice you may presume. A friend of mine fairly new to this country allowed her twelve year old son to buy some cider to drink with his friends, not realising it was an alcoholic beverage. You can imagine the consequences! Whoops.

  It would be virtually impossible to exactly replicate an ancient pagan hand-fasting feast, but we can copy it to a certain extent without upsetting your guests gastronomically.

  People always remember the food so, even if your budget is low, allow for this—and why not have fun anyway making some of it yourselves? It doesn’t matter whether it’s from an expensive delicatessen or pulled up from an allotment. As long as it is well prepared and relatively neutral it will go down well. Hot and spicy food may well be very popular these days but it doesn’t seem suitable as wedding food, so unless you know for sure that everyone coming will love it then its best avoided.

  Finding out in advance if you are catering solely for vegetarians, or omnivores as well, is a good idea bearing in mind that to be accurate historically then meat or fish would have to be the focal part of the feast. For our ancestors the feasting part of the celebration was the main event, but sadly in many cases these days we seem to have put alcohol above this and reduced the meal to a limp buffet.

  It is perfectly possible to feed your friends well and supply them with enough falling-down water to reduce even the most stoic guest to giggles without it having to cost the earth.

  For real authenticity I would advise you purchase only the best quality organic free-range meat available, with wild boar, venison and fresh fish being very much top of the medieval pops.

  It may not be possible for you to cook your feast on the day itself, or you could be a tad nervous about cooking traditionally over an open fire. Either way it is always possible to prepare the meat in advance and have it cold on the day.

  Before we look at some of my personal suggestions for your hand-fasting feast, let me state categorically that unlike my daughter I am not a qualified chef. My suggestions are just that, suggestions. For accurate recipes and cooking times it would be best to consult any of the recipe books I have recommended in further reading to avoid potential disaster!

  In keeping with our ancestors I have little in the way of accurate measurements and weights, preferring to just give basic guidelines on amounts and how long to cook them. Our ancestors may have laid the basis for today’s plethora of culinary expertise but they were more concerned with using what was readily available to its limits, without any waste, than with the artistic displays of cuisine we have become used to.

  Thankfully many twenty-first century chefs are returning to a more rustic form of cookery, where the quality of ingredients used and simplicity of cooking is of more importance than presentation, hurrah!

  Loaves

  Bread was the staple diet globally for most people two hundred years ago and back as far as five thousand, so it should form a part of your feast.

  The best quality bread would be baked for the occasion and artistic shapes including those of knots would be created. The bread would be leavened or yeast risen white bread, with herbs and seeds included such as parsley, thyme, marjoram, cumin, caraway, and poppy among many others. You can obtain interesting and flavoursome breads from most bakery sections of today’s supermarkets or bake your own if feeling capable.

  White wheaten flour was considered the richest treat, and therefore any white crusty loaf will do. It is nice to warm the bread before serving and traditionally it would be broken into chunks and served with whatever meats were available. Potatoes largely replaced bread as a starchy accompaniment after Tudor times, but to be true to our pagan ancestors we should use bread as well as or instead of potatoes.

  Sweet breads were also used to add bulk to the feast and provide variety. These were white breads with small pieces of fruit baked into the loaf. These can be purchased from most larger supermarkets. If not, try making your own and adding spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. These can be served with a spoonful of organic honey, the only real source of sweetening available to our ancestors.

  Trout and New Potatoes with Green Salad Fish isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are planning two dishes as a main meal it is a very good choice for one dish. The fish can be obtained fairly cheaply, either by catching them yourself or buying direct from a troutery or fishmonger.

  Ingredients Trout Fennel

  Sea salt and pepper Olive oil

  New potatoes

  Green leaves

  Olives or hazel nuts Nasturtiums.

  I would allow 1 lb of trout between four people. The fish can then be simply cooked wrapped in silver foil over any fire or barbecue. I would stuff mine with fennel (picked from the garden or bought) and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. By drizzling some virgin olive oil over the fish and sprinkling more sea salt over the top, you should get a slight crust to the skin. They only take about ten minutes each side to cook, depending on how hot your fire is and how large each fish is, so check after eight minutes just in case.

  I would try to obtain some fresh new potatoes from either an organic gardening friend or alternative organic supplier. Most modern supermarkets sell organic fresh produce now, but it is expensive. My supplier grows his own and has an honesty box outside his house. These people are usually easy to find if you live in the countryside, but if you are in town you will have to rely on what is available. I would slightly parboil the potatoes the day before and just heat them through on the day in a pan of boiling water with a little fresh lemon balm thrown in.

  You can use any fresh green edible leaves you want, but a nice combination if you can get them is baby spinach, basil, red cabbage and nasturtiums. Wash all the leaves except the flowers and place in a large bowl. Pour on a reasonable amount of dressing of your choice or, to avoid sogginess, have it as a separate option. Dress with flower heads and a few black olives or nuts, and season.

  Cooking fish in this way is a modern adaptation suitable for our barbecues. If you want a more genuine ancient flavour, then poach the fish in skimmed milk with a smearing of butter afterwards. The herbs used were most probably sorrel, fennel and a garnish of fresh watercress, especially in the southern wet areas.

  Hog Roast This is a firm favourite of the ancestors, but very difficult to manage unless you have the setup required. As I mentioned earlier it was mainly an autumn or winter dish, but there is no reason nowadays why you can’t have it for your hand-fasting at any time of year.

  You will need an awfully large barbecue or fire to spit-turn a hog roast and plenty of strong arms to turn it. There are small businesses that operate hog roasts at festivals and county shows, so it might be possible if the budget allows to hire one of these outfits for the day, totally in keeping with the behaviour of kings of old.

  An average hog (wild boar being my favourite) will take many hours to cook and needs constant basting, but is well worth the effort if served with plenty of salad or vegetables. You can just serve chunks of meat in a bun if you want, but look into the feasibility first before getting carried away.

  As a general
rule allow twenty minutes of cooking time per pound of meat, plus thirty minutes. Make sure you get your fire good and hot and allow about twenty inches between hog and fire, with the hottest part of the fire required nearest the haunches where the bulk of the meat is found and takes longest to cook.

  A good charcoal fire will take at least thirty minutes to get up to heat and you are looking for white-hot wood or charcoal, not leaping flames that will singe but not cook right through.

  Have a long skewer handy to poke deep into the flesh to check if it is cooked through. If the skewer comes out cold and when removed the flesh bleeds, then it is not cooked through. Making a basting brush out of a bundle of rosemary tied to a stick, and a delicious pre-prepared baste from melted butter, salt, pepper and garlic to marinade with, is great and really brings out the flavour of the meat.

  Venison This lordly meat is entirely appropriate for a wedding feast and can usually be found available in most rural areas. To cater for a large number of guests the whole beast may be required—but be warned: it is not cheap, apart from during culling season in the autumn, when it should be a tad cheaper.

  Venison should have been hung for several weeks before cooking and care should be taken with ensuring this is so, or you might end up with very tough meat. If you really like the idea of using venison but are on a budget, then venison sausages as an accompaniment to either pork or beef is a good idea.

  Venison can be roasted in the same way as any other meat and because of its strong flavour is unlikely to need any marinading, but using the same basting method as hog roast would be delicious. We had it for our last winter solstice meal and served it with roasted parsnips, blanched sprouts and roasted garlic bulbs with a rich gravy made from the juices of the meat—and Yorkshire puddings, of course!

  As a rule venison requires twenty five minutes per pound plus twenty five minutes, and an additional ten minutes if cooked covered in foil.