The Origins Of The Tradition The ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a vein that ran directly to the heart and so chose to wear the ring as a symbol of love on this finger.
The Romans, who introduced the world to the principle of marriage proposals, believed that the left hand was untrustworthy and unholy. Therefore, they used to wear their wedding rings on their right hand.
The tradition of exchanging wedding rings is dated back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome. These cultures all chose to wear their wedding rings on their fourth finger of their left hands because they believed there was a vein in this finger that went directly to the heart.
"Today, wedding rings are most commonly worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But some countries including India, Germany, Spain, Norway, and Russia traditionally wear their wedding rings on their right hand." Overall, it seems cultural traditions and norms set the standard for this custom.
In many cultures, the right ring finger symbolizes love and trust. In countries including Germany, Russia and India, wedding and engagement rings are worn on the right ring finger. This finger can also convey self-love and is often used for rings that celebrate a milestone or accomplishment.
Cultural Differences
The culture of wearing rings on the left hand is mostly seen in western countries. On the flip side, some eastern cultures prefer having the ring on the right hand. In this case, there is no right culture. The most important thing is the symbolism of the ring.
Both the left pinky finger and right pinky finger wear rings to be single. The ring on the left pinky finger also reveals that a person is unmarried. Wearing a ring on your right pinky finger indicates that you don't want to fall in love.
Wedding rings in Britain. After marrying, British women usually wear both the engagement ring and the wedding ring. It's acceptable to wear the wedding ring alone, although this is less common. Either way, both are always worn on the left ring finger.
It is common for widows to wear their wedding ring on their right ring finger rather than their left ring finger. This is a way to symbolize moving forward while still keeping the memory of your marriage close.
The fourth finger of the left hand, believed to possess a vein that runs securely to the heart, has traditionally been ringed. This Vein of Love, or more amorously called the Vena Amoris, 1 originated in ancient Egypt, where it was first described by Macrobius in 395–423 AD.
During the Jewish wedding ceremony, the ring is placed on the right hand, but afterwards the bride moves it to the left hand. In Catholic religion, engagement rings are worn on the right and weddings rings on the left. Muslims often wear wedding rings on the right hand, but the left hand is also allowed.
The fourth finger of the left hand, believed to possess a vein that runs securely to the heart, is the finger we here in the US wear our wedding rings on. The vein of love or more amorously called the Vena Amoris, is from ancient times and is thought to originate with Eqypt.
In a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, the wedding ring is placed on the bride's right-hand index finger, but other traditions place it on the middle finger or the thumb, most commonly in recent times. Today, the ring usually is moved to the left hand ring finger after the ceremony.
No, It's Not Bad Luck.
There's nothing that shows whether or not wearing your wedding bands before the wedding is really bad luck, but many people feel it's like “jumping the gun,” so to speak. The wedding bands are for married couples, not engaged ones, so wearing the bands is seen as bad form.
Many Chinese put the ring away to protect it, except for important holidays, such as anniversaries. In Chinese tradition, higher status for men was signified by having several young female partners or concubines. A ring denies that status. For this reason, many modern Chinese men do not wear a wedding ring.
There is no rule that says you cannot wear your wedding ring after your spouse is deceased. If you feel more comfortable wearing it, then wear it. However, you may want to consider taking it off to fully move on with life.
There is no right or wrong decision in this matter.” Continue wearing the ring. Many widows/widowers continue to wear their wedding ring until they feel ready to take it off. Some will continue to wear it forever.
Conventionally, the wedding ring is worn on the left hand in the US, UK, Canada, in some European countries (Italy, France, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, etc.), and in Mexico.
In Germany the traditional engagement ring is usually a gold band worn on the left hand. After the wedding the same ring is worn on the right hand. Men also wear their wedding ring on the right hand. May is normally a preferred month for weddings.
Ireland has a unique tradition of wearing a Claddagh, which when turn a certain way, denotes a marriage commitment. They might wear it on either hand, but they more than likely will switch it to the left hand after engagement or marriage.
The thumb represents your parents. The index finger represents your siblings. The middle finger represents yourself. The ring finger represents your life partner.
While a band on your ring finger communicates relationship status or affection, the pinky finger does the complete opposite! A ring on this finger is a sign of self-love versus relationship love.
Traditionally, a pinky ring worn on your dominant hand, which for most men is the right hand, represents things you have accomplished personally, while a pinky ring worn on the other hand indicates family accomplishments. However, you are free to wear your pinky rings as you choose today.