Hand Washing Ceremony Scripts and PDF's

What is Hand Washing Ceremony in a Wedding?

Hand Washing Ceremony in your wedding is when couple washes each other's hands.  It involves a bowl of water and two cloths.  The water may have a flower petals or lemon slices floating in it for decoration.  One partner will dip their hands in the water and the other will dry their hands.  
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What is the meaning of the the Hand Washing Ceremony in a Wedding?

​I believe you can give any action meaning in your wedding ceremony. A hand Washing Ceremony can be spiritual or secular.  Perhaps one of you has a job where your hands always dirty and this has a sweet, fun, personal meaning. 

The act of washing your hands could be interpreted as washing away the past and starting fresh.  I Do Still interprets the ceremonial hand washing as a way of showing your vulnerability, thus bringing you closer. 
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Hand Washing in the Hawaiian tradition

​Hand Washing during your wedding ceremony can give homage to the Hawaiian tradition called ​“huawei." Part of that tradition is whenever a you make a significant spiritual passage in life you ritualistically cleanse your spirit in a sacred body of water.  The water is used for purification and it is believed to bring lives and souls in balance.  The balance is influenced by the tides and the sea.

Hand Washing to acknowledge personal growth

If you'd like to find a deeper meaning in the ritual of handwashing, it can signify personal growth, acknowledging the life you have lead and everything you've gone through to bring you to this moment.  You give thanks and praise to the good and the bad because it has increased your capacity to love with the depth and understanding necessary to love deeply with commitment. 

Hand Washing in the Native American Tradition

The Native American culture also looks at the element of water as a symbol for purification and cleansing. When the couples washes their hands during their wedding ceremony they are washing away past evils and memories of past loves. (I would be very careful bringing that up past loves during a wedding!)

Spiritual symbolism of water and hand washing

​Water is a symbol of life, because it nourishes all living things. It is also a symbol of birth, as it reminds us of the fluids that accompany birth. It is used as a means of symbolic cleansing in a variety of settings. It is a traditional Jewish practice to wash our hands upon awakening by first taking a cup of water in one hand and pouring it over the other hand, then switching hands and repeating the process. (Some people do this three times for each hand.) Ritually anointing our hand is a symbol of the renewal of creation as well as a spiritual cleansing in preparation for the work of the new day.
​Spirituality and Practice

Hand Washing Ceremony Script 1

I found this on I do Still
You can download this jpg file, the PDF below or
​click here to cut and paste

handwashing_1.pdf
File Size:	52 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Hand Washing Ceremony Script 2

You can download this jpg file, the PDF below or 
​click here to cut and paste

hand_washing_2.pdf
File Size:	50 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Hand Washing Ceremony Script 3

You can download this jpg file, the PDF below or 
​click here to cut and paste

hand_washing_3.pdf
File Size:	51 kb
File Type:	pdf

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