Wedding Coins: What Do They Mean In Marriage?

Weddings are filled with symbols representing promises, wishes, union, etc. One of these symbols is wedding coins, which are considered as a representation of material and spiritual prosperity in a married couple.

Wedding coins have a great significance that is about much more than just a simple exchange of a few coins. Through these wedding coins, the groom hands over her wealth to her bride, and then she returns them to him. By performing this act, the couple also receives the blessing of marriage and offspring.

Just as the ring symbolizes union, the wedding coins represent the act of sharing everything from that moment: “What is mine is yours.” Wedding coins also represent a desire for future prosperity.

What are wedding coins?

Wedding coins consist of 13 coins, of which 12 are in gold and one is in silver, which a child brings to the altar in a basket. After the ring ceremony, the fiancé gives them to the groom and the bride.

They are usually a gift from the bridesmaid to the groom, but this is more of a modern tradition.

There are also people who are looking for different symbols that are not coins. It can be, for example, jewelry, flowers or a candle. In some cases, the couple chooses coins from another country that have a special meaning for them, either because their family comes from there or because they plan to live there in the future.

One can also exchange wedding coins in marriages entered into at the town hall, but in this case they will not be blessed by a priest.

The exchange of wedding coins

After exchanging the rings, the priest blesses the wedding coins , and then the groom hands them to his bride with these words: “Receive these coins as a promise of God’s blessing and a sign of the values ​​we must share as a couple.”

Then the bride gives the coins back to the groom with the same words. Finally, the pastor blesses the couple and their values.

The distant origin

The word ” arrhae “, or wedding coins , has a long history in evolution, beginning during the oldest Stone Age of the Syrians. At that time, 1400 AD, Erabatu consisted of the tax installments paid by the families. The word evolved into ” Arrabon “, which was a piece of clothing left behind as a guarantee of a purchase.

At the time of the Roman Empire, they originally knew it as ” arrhabo “. In the Plautus texts during the 2nd century BC. was Arrhabo a promise of a payment deposited as a guarantee. Later, Gaius Pliny, a procurator in Rome from 70-72 AD, already used the word ” arrhae ” when referring to business guarantees.

Wedding coins in the Middle Ages

“ Arrhae ” was used as a commercial term in the late Middle Ages in Spain during the Visigoths. This term was used in purchase and sale contracts for the deposit that the buyer left as security before the purchase.

These commercial contracts covered when a father could hand over the bride to the groom.

In the early Middle Ages , marriage was a legal commercial agreement elaborated in a contract. The bride’s father agreed to give authority over his daughter to the suitor in return for a dowry.

This document was called “ Desponsiato ” (where the word “engagement” comes from). At the same time, an arrhae certificate was signed, which specified the values ​​that were transferred to the bride. This was done without the woman’s consent as she was usually under 18 years of age. Many times the future husband was not even aware of this.

After the Desponsiato contract and the arrhae certificate, when the woman was able to give birth to children, the wedding was celebrated. In time, this ceremony became a religious act due to the influence of the church.

From that moment on, wedding coins remained part of the tradition.

The religious origin

In the tradition of the Catholic Church, wedding coins originate from the Old Testament. Abraham gave Rebekah gold vessels, garments, and gold earrings as a sign that she was in a marriage with his son, Isaac.

Why are there 13 coins?

The origin of the 13 wedding coins is unclear. The explanation is that Jacob, who was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, had 12 children who founded the 12 tribes of Israel. It is therefore 12 coins plus one that represents God.

There are others who believe that it originates from an Arab tradition. It is a coin for each month for a year as well as a bronze coin for the poor to distribute the abundance.

How to choose the wedding coins

Now that you have learned all about wedding coins, you know that they are a very important part of some traditional weddings. Therefore, you need to choose them carefully and assign them a special meaning.

Many jewelry stores have different types of wedding coins, but you can also be original and have some custom-made that represent your values.