Getting married is fun but it can also be stressful. You want all the details of the wedding to go well and that includes putting the wedding ring on the correct finger. There are plenty of youtube videos of fumbling grooms trying to figure out which hand they need to place the ring on. Hopefully, this article will clear up some of the confusion!
We have the joy of working with the richness of cultures and customs. A quick glimpse around the room at one of our first marriage events abroad had us wondering if the couples were married. None wore wedding rings on their left hand! We then realised that the couples were staring right back at our right hands. I also received a ‘corrective’ email from a well-meaning person on one of the images I had created for the internet. The gist of the email was if I was going to post something about marriage at least get a picture with the ring on the correct hand. Unfortunately it wasn’t that simple, while it seems that there is worldwide agreement on the meaning of the wedding ring there is disagreement about where it should be worn.
Many Western countries have the tradition of wearing the wedding ring on the left hand on the fourth finger. In classical times it was thought that this finger contained the “vein of love” and so it was symbolic of eternal love to wear the wedding ring on this finger. Other countries considered that wearing the ring on the right hand was better since the Latin word for left is “sinister” and had negative connotations.
On the left:
The UK, other commonwealth nations, Ireland, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Iran, Chile, Italy, France, Sweden, and Slovenia.
On the Right:
Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain, India, Colombia, Venezuela, Poland and many Eastern European nations.
Some people wear their ring on the left or right hand depending on their faith. So it isn’t such a straightforward question to answer. Whether you are Protestant, Catholic, Greek Orthodox or Jew the most important thing to remember is that the giving and receiving of a ring is saying that you are in covenant together. The promise is for life!
The Wedding Ring … on the left or the right hand? Regardless it says you are in covenant together. Click To Tweet
Question: Which hand do people wear their wedding rings on in your country? Do you know why? We would love to hear from you so please post your answer on twitter or facebook.
by Lainey Hitchman
