Origins of the sand pouring ceremony

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A new tradition is quickly taking the place of a unity candle in wedding ceremonies. The origin of the sand ceremony may be disputed, but several backgrounds add to the usage of the symbolic ritual.

1. Hawaiian Origins

   • How the tradition of the sand ceremony started in Hawaii is rather vague, but Laura Lane of Sacred Unions suggests that couples started it themselves. Lane said couples were likely married barefoot on the beach with couples kneeling at a certain point of the ceremony to scoop sand into a container.

   Native American Origins

   • The Native American start of the sand ceremony is just as unclear as those of the Hawaiians. It is believed that it started in the Southwest United States in much the same way as the Hawaiian theory.

   Trista and Ryan

   • Many Americans first learned of the unity sand ceremony during the wedding of Trista (Rehn) and Ryan Sutter of "The Bachelorette" fame. The couple took part in a sand ceremony at the conclusion of a televised wedding series.

   Couples with Differing Origins

   • The sand ceremony has also been used historically to unite couples (and their families) who hail from different countries. In this variation, the bride and groom each use a vial of sand from his or her homeland.

   Uniting Families

   • As blended families became more common, the unity sand ceremony became more prevalent, pushing this use into contention as the origin of the ritual. In this variation, each member of the new family (mother, father and each child) use their own color of sand to combine into a large container.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: sand ceremony, Origins sand, became more, Native American, Origins sand pouring, pouring ceremony