let love and friendship reign forever

image via wikipedia The Irish are well known for their rich tradtions. One of their really nice wedding customs is the Claddagh ring. The Claddagh Ring has remained very popular as an engagement and/or wedding ring. The symbolism is quite lovely. The heart in the design symbolizes love longed to be shared with one’s true love. The crown symbolizes undying loyalty and the hands symbolize friendship, which is, after all, the very foundation of love, with loyalty holding the two hands together. “With my two hands I give you my heart, and crown it with my loyalty” and “Let love and friendship reign forever” can be both found as meanings for the symbols together in this ring. There are many legends about the origin of the Claddagh ring and true or not, the Claddagh has become an everlasting symbol of love and marriage. Liv likes this story:

It starts with the likes of a fisherman who was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery before he could marry his true love that remained behind in the Irish village of Claddagh. The fisherman ended up indentured to a goldsmith who taught him his trade. Thinking every day of the true love he left behind in the village of Claddagh, he decided to make a special ring for her should they ever be united again. He crafted a ring with two hands holding a heart, which had a crown above it. It was meant to represent love and friendship. Eventually, the fisherman (now goldsmith) was released and he returned to his village. To his great joy, he found that his true love had waited for him to return and then he presented her with the ring, which became the betrothal ring. The ring then became synonymous with faithfulness too, as they both remained faithful to each other even when separated by adversity and distance.

awww! …and they lived happy ever after… Liv loves happy endings.

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