In Russia, a wedding ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand. There are also countries where it is customary to wear a wedding accessory on the left hand. And some people thread a chain through such a ring so that it is located right next to the heart.
The wedding product can be gold, silver, black, white and colored. But no matter what shape or color it has, and no matter where it is worn, the wedding ring always remains the embodiment of the purity and devotion of the spouses.
Photos of couples wedding rings at a wedding
History of the wedding ring
The exchange of wedding rings is a sacred ritual that has come to us from time immemorial. In ancient times, a ring on the hand was a talisman, and it was made from hemp and reed fibers. But amulets made from this material were short-lived.
Later they began to be made of metal. The meaning of this item has also changed. It began to be a guarantee of chastity, the inviolability of family values, and eternal fidelity.
They were called engagement rings because, having put on the rings, a man and a woman will go through life hand in hand, without parting, and the ritual before the wedding was called “betrothal.” They began to be used in wedding ceremonies from the 4th century.
Why should you wear a wedding ring? The ring shows that this person's heart is occupied. The symbol of fidelity cannot be removed. If a person does not wear this symbol, then he breaks the oath of allegiance. Previously, this was considered treason, because the essence of this subject is the infinity of love, mutual support in difficult situations, honesty, cohesion, and reliability.
And the circle is an ancient symbol that has neither beginning nor end, which means it cannot be opened, and two rings mean the infinity of family life.
Why is it worn on the right hand, choosing the ring finger? The right hand is considered more important than the left. Christians cross themselves with their right hand. In Orthodoxy there is a teaching: behind the right shoulder there is a Guardian Angel, accompanying a person from birth. It protects not only the person himself, but also his marriage.
Why on the nameless one? It is believed that from this finger a blood vessel goes straight to the heart, and love always originates in the heart. Therefore, the wedding ring is just where the thread to the heart comes from.
By the way, the word “marriage” comes from the word “to take.” A man took his wife as the most precious thing in the world.
Is it really that simple?
In fact, the question of how to wear it and what it means comes up very often, and the answers are sometimes amazing.
| Name | Right hand | Left hand | ||
| Man | Woman | Man | Woman | |
| Big | Extremely rare, protection of the male ego | Free lesbian | Same as on the right hand | Lesbian with a companion |
| Pointing | Sign of aristocracy, worn by monarchs and rulers (finger of power) | Jewish women prefer wedding jewelry here | If you have nowhere else to wear it, then you can decorate this finger with a wedding ring | And Jewish ladies really like this place for wedding “trinkets” |
| Average | Widowers wear wedding rings | Widowed women change their engagement ring here | A “male” who is looking for a “female” to satisfy physiological needs | It is rare to see such decoration on this finger on a woman. |
| Nameless | A married man in a Christian marriage (meaning Orthodox Christianity) | Married woman in Russia and other countries | Busy man in Catholicism, a number of European countries | Woman in marriage in Catholic religions |
| Little finger | Regardless of gender and side, there are two options. The first one is more mysterious and says that rings are worn by people who don’t value relationships, as if they don’t care where to wear them, and the second one says that a married person rolls around like cheese in butter and has gained a little weight, so the amulets won’t fit anywhere anymore | |||
What does the ring tell you?
In ancient Egypt, where the custom of wearing a thin hoop originated, they could judge a person’s status by where this item was located.
- If a person wears it on his index finger, then he is in search of his other half.
- Wearing it on the little finger indicated that the man was not ready to start a family.
- The ancient Greeks, noted for their fickleness in love, wore this item on their middle finger.
- In China, this item was melted so that any finger could be ringed. Hieroglyphs meaning “happiness” and “longevity” were necessarily carved on it.
- Divorced ones ring the left hand. They seem to suggest to the opposite sex that they are now completely free.
- In India, as well as in England, during the reign of King George I, the sign of marital fidelity was worn on the thumb. Today in many countries it is the thumb that is ringed.
Very reliable
Sometimes it happens that a man fiddles with his wedding ring, gets nervous, and tries to hide the fact that he is married. Also a sign of excitement is the fact that the man spins the ring around its axis. If the wife notices this, this is a reason to suggest that her loved one get a tattoo in the form of a wedding ring. It certainly cannot be removed. And by the way, this is very fashionable today.
That's all for today. Please share this article on social networks, subscribe to my blog! I wish you all the best. And don't take everything to heart. It depends only on you how strong and long your marriage will be. Decide for yourself which rings to wear and in what place, and whether to wear them at all. Be happy! Bye!
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Why wear a wedding ring on a chain?
You can often see girls attaching this item to a chain as a decoration. For example, a guy gave me a ring, but it didn’t fit. The girl, in order not to offend her beloved, wears it around her neck.
Athletes also often wear it on a chain during competitions or training. For weightlifters and rowers, this decoration can rub their finger.
If a man wears a wedding ring on a chain, most likely he is an athlete or this jewelry has become too small for him. In this way he wants to show that he has a girlfriend.
Europeans have long been using a similar method of wearing this thing, both men and women. Women wear it to attract attention to themselves. Indeed, an unusual decoration attracts attention.
Recommendations
You need to take care of your purchase in advance. For people prone to allergic reactions, it is better to choose products made of platinum, titanium or silver. When completing your study of which wedding rings are best to buy and the signs about them, you should listen to a few more useful tips:
- The couple does not have to buy the same jewelry, but it is better if they are models with similar motifs.
- Style: the accessory should be suitable for both everyday wear and evening wardrobe.
- Don’t be upset if an expensive and desired piece of jewelry is not available right now. It can be purchased later, for example, for an anniversary.
- It's not worth saving either.
- The ring should be comfortable.
This is enough to know what an engagement ring should be. Signs and belief in them are a personal matter. Everyone decides for himself whether to ignore long-known signs or carefully follow each of them. Regardless of the choice of ring design, you must remember that the symbol of family, love and fidelity should not only be beautiful, but also comfortable and durable.
What should an engagement ring be like?
Why are these objects melted from gold? Ancient people considered gold a symbol of the sun, and the sun - the source of life, heat, and light.
The ring should not have decorations, since a smooth surface portends a quiet life. The smoother the surface, the happier the life of the new couple.
In Europe, rich jewelry is given as a gift for engagement or betrothal, and at the wedding ceremony the bride receives a thing without a stone. Even in ancient times, it was believed that the stone breaks continuity and weakens the protective properties of the amulet.
Modern girls often choose an engagement ring with a stone, especially a diamond. However, men rarely choose this item, which is burdened with various delights.
Traditions of different countries
In countries where Orthodox Christians live, the wedding attribute is placed on the ring finger. Orthodox Christians associate the right hand with sincerity; it is with the right hand that we greet each other and hold a spoon while eating. Orthodox Christians cross themselves from right to left. This is how Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Greeks wear it.
How do Muslims wear wedding attribute?
There was no such tradition in Islam; they adopted it from the Europeans. Men are not allowed to adorn themselves with gold, only with silver and copper jewelry.
And women wear a wedding ring, just like Orthodox Christians. Newlyweds wear signs of fidelity only as decoration.
Who wears a ring on their left hand?
Catholics also honor a tradition that confirms their family status. But they believe that the vein of love runs to the heart from the ring finger of the left hand, so the Catholic wedding attribute flaunts on the left hand. But the main reason for wearing this is considered to be the way of placing a cross from left to right.
Not all Catholics want to see this attribute on their left hand. Spaniards, Austrians, Norwegians decorate their right hand with it.
Protestants in different countries wear it differently. But in the event of the death of a spouse, they do not wear these items at all, they simply keep them at home.
It is worth noting that the sign of marital fidelity on the right hand is worn by residents of Venezuela, Austria, and Norway. The same tradition is preserved by Germans, Poles, Georgians, and Israelis.
But the Turks, Japanese, Swedes, French, Canadians, Cubans, Mexicans, and Americans prefer the left hand; this tradition came to them from ancient times. Married American women prefer chic, massive items with expensive stones.
Widowed Turkish women change the position of the ring on their hand, and the widower puts his wedding attribute along with his wife’s jewelry and carefully keeps it.
Armenian men do not wear this jewelry at all, but women are required to wear a similar sign of fidelity. They wear jewelry made of silver or gold on the ring or index finger of the left hand.
Azerbaijanis treat family and marriage with special reverence, observing all the traditions of their people. Azerbaijani women decorate the index or ring finger of their left hand. They are not even allowed to take them off.
According to ancient traditions, the British, Swedes, Italians, French, Irish, and residents of Slovenia who profess Catholicism wear the sign of fidelity on their left hand.
In Middle Eastern countries, a ring adorns a woman’s right hand during an engagement, and on her left during a wedding. For the weak half, the engagement attribute has a large stone, for the strong half it is one ring for both rituals.
At a wedding, Jews put a “hoop” on their right hand, and then change it to their left.
If spouses belong to different religions, then they choose a compromise or each follow their own traditions.
Types of wedding rings
Photo: bonheims Modern engagement rings are made of white, yellow, red gold, silver, platinum and even copper.
Depending on the design, there are the following types: Classic
- a universal option. A product with a smooth surface and a laconic design that never goes out of style. Engraving on the inside can be used as decoration.
Tapeworm
– a classic model with a precious stone in the center of the product. Often used for engagement.
Trinity
- a product made from intertwined bases of white, yellow and red gold, which symbolizes love, friendship and fidelity.
Eternity
– a circular path strewn with diamonds. Symbolizes eternal love. This piece goes well with a classic engagement solitaire.
Washer
– a wide product with rectangular edges, quite massive, but very strong and durable.
Trilogy
– a decoration with three precious stones in the center. A popular model that symbolizes the past, present and future of the new family.
Crown
– a fresh trend in the world of wedding decorations. The product in the form of a crown is suitable for women and men. But they are not very practical for daily wear.
Ring with moving element
- a non-standard and creative option. The moving part rotates along the rim thanks to miniature bearings and can be decorated with relief or precious stones.
Braiding
- suitable only for women and symbolizes the triple feminine energy necessary for housekeeping, raising children and maintaining harmony in relationships with your husband.
These are not all types of wedding rings, but only the most popular models. New trends are constantly emerging in jewelry. This also applies to wedding rings. One thing remains unchanged: this decoration is always associated with sincere love.
What to do with a ring if your husband or wife dies
When people lose a loved one, there is an ambivalent attitude towards the engagement ring. On the one hand, the spouse’s gift supports him in difficult times, but on the other, just looking at him again causes unbearable mental pain.
On which finger do widows wear their wedding ring? Women treat this wedding attribute with trepidation, so they do not want to part with it.
As a sign of grief, widows put both rings on the opposite hand. This is how they honor the memory of their deceased spouse. Or they attach it to a chain. Many women try to put it on their thumb if it is large in size.
Widowers simply put it on the opposite hand. Often they take both rings to the temple and leave it as a gift. Some men melt it down, then sell it, and with this money they ask to pray for the deceased or put it for the goddess near the icons.
Finally, the hand on which the wedding ring is worn and the traditions associated with wearing the ring are very interesting. Studying them brings real pleasure, because it concerns the brightest day in the life of many people on the planet - a wedding!
Traditions and signs
As you can see, the tradition of wearing wedding rings dates back thousands of years. True, men began to wear them constantly relatively recently, already in the 20th century, but that’s a completely different story.
During this time, wedding bands have acquired an impressive layer of signs and superstitions. Let's remember the most enduring of them and dispel the myths:
- Wedding rings should be smooth and modest, without stones or decoration - then family life will be problem-free. However, even church wedding rings are now richly decorated. Even though these are predominantly Christian symbols and prayers, there is no talk of any smoothness. What can we say about worldly weddings?
- Dropping a ring in the registry office means trouble. What rumors do not predict in this case: from divorce to the imminent death of one of the spouses. The newlyweds are already incredibly worried, but there is also the task of not dropping the rings under any circumstances. Of course, they get dropped, but this is only worse for the jewelry (they can get scratched or deformed).
- You cannot change wedding rings before your golden wedding. Can you imagine how fashion has changed over half a century? During this time, you may get tired of your favorite ring. It can also get lost (and that’s okay, except for additional expenses!), stop fitting in size, and so on. In general, if you want or need to, change it: family life will not suffer from it.
If a girl finds a wedding ring, folk signs predict a quick happy marriage. But you must believe in good omens - then they will come true! The history and traditions of wedding rings are contradictory in many ways. The thickness of centuries has hidden from us many significant events and changes in the appearance of engagement rings, but this does not make them cease to be the most recognizable symbols of marriage. Even adherents of cultures that do not have the custom of exchanging rings in principle are slowly beginning to find charm in this global romantic trend!
11.06.21
