Las arras

What it is

Las arras, or las arras matrimoniales, are a set of thirteen gold coins used at Christian weddings in Spain, Latin America and the Philippines. In English they are also called arrhae, wedding tokens or unity coins. In Spain and Latin America the coins arrive in a decorated box or chest, while in the Philippines they come in a decorated basket or pouch. A priest blesses them before the groom presents them to the bride. Families of Hispanic descent in other countries keep the practice too, often under their own names and with local variations.

Origins and history

Where the coins began is disputed. An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies traces them to Visigothic law, where gold rings and coins played a part. Sex and Society says the practice grew out of Frankish marriage ceremonies. Coins also appeared at Roman weddings, where a piece of gold or silver was split into two equal halves as a promise between two people. Reynolds and Witte record that Franks gave thirteen pennies while Spaniards gave coins or a marriage gift, and they suggest the two habits met in the eleventh century. The Spanish word arras can mean earnest money, a bride price or bride wealth. In law, it also names a payment that shows earnest intent.

What the coins mean

Thirteen is the usual number, and two readings are offered for it. One counts twelve months and adds a coin for the poor. Another, common today, sees Jesus and his twelve apostles. More than arithmetic, the handover carries a promise: the groom undertakes to provide for his household, and the bride answers with trust that he can. The Spanish form is described as Mozarabic, and sources stress that it was never a dowry or a means of bringing prosperity sooner.

The coin bearer

Hispanic and Filipino weddings often add a second young attendant to the entourage, known as the arrhae bearer or coin bearer. The sources describe this person as a second page in the wedding party, walking alongside the ring bearer, though the job is different: the coins themselves are what this attendant brings forward. The role is one of the small parts that make up an entourage, and the coins stay ready until the priest blesses them and the groom hands them over.

Other occasions

The rite is optional in church use. Spanish wording was allowed for Catholics in the United States in 2010, and an English form followed in September 2016, printed in the same book as the wedding cord. Outside weddings, the coins appear at quinceañeras, at debutante balls for young women and at bat mitzvahs, though in most Hispanic countries that is uncommon. France had a related habit: Balzac, writing in 1833, described a marriage dozen kept in Berry and Anjou, where a bride's family or the groom's put twelve pieces into a purse for her, and sometimes many more.

How Las arras is kept

Coins are prepared before the wedding day. At the marriage ceremony a priest blesses them, and then the groom hands them to his bride; the couple keep the set afterwards. A separate attendant, the arrhae bearer or coin bearer, joins the wedding party as a second page beside the ring bearer. This attendant brings the coins themselves rather than a symbolic stand-in. Where the rite is used, it is optional in the church's books, and it can appear at other family occasions too, such as a girl's fifteenth birthday celebration.

When and where

There is no date in the calendar for las arras. They belong to the marriage ceremony itself, so they are exchanged whenever a couple weds, once the priest has blessed the coins. In church use the rite is optional and may be left out entirely; where it is included, it sits inside the wedding service or Mass.

Spain is the home of the word and the custom, and it is kept most widely there, across Latin America and in the Philippines. Communities shaped by Hispanic culture elsewhere have their own versions under their own names. In parts of central France, Balzac recorded a related marriage dozen, kept in Berry and Anjou, where a bride received a purse of twelve gold pieces.

What Las arras means

The coins carry more than one meaning. Counted as thirteen, they are read as the year's twelve months with one more set aside for the poor. Many couples now read them instead as Jesus and his twelve apostles. The handing over is a promise in visible form: the groom takes on the duty of providing for his household, and the bride answers with trust in him. In the Spanish tradition the coins are not a dowry, and they are not meant to hurry good fortune.

Questions people ask about Las arras

See also

Bar and bat mitzvahA Jewish rite of passage marking when youth reach adulthood and take responsibility for their own actions.ConfirmationA Christian rite of laying on of hands that completes baptism and strengthens faithFilipino wedding customsA blend of indigenous rituals and Christian traditions marking the union of two families in the Philippines.BatokIndigenous Filipino tattooing, once worn as dress, rank and a rite of passage

Good reading and sources

• Las arras on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.