A friend sent this to me via email. I found it interesting....
YouTube - Why Wedding Ring on 4th Finger
YouTube - Why Wedding Ring on 4th Finger
Why wedding ring is on the 4th finger
- Thread starter InletBchDweller
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For men, the size on the fourth finger makes the ring interchangeable with the one in their nose.
For women, the fourth finger doesn't intefere with the cell phone or swiping a credit card.
For women, the fourth finger doesn't intefere with the cell phone or swiping a credit card.
That's pretty cool, but it doesn't answer the question of why it's always on the left hand.
From http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/09/why-wedding-ring-is-worn-on-third.html :
"the western custom of placing the ring on the third finger of the left hand was originated with the Greeks. In the third century B.C. Greek physicians with their misguided interpretation of human anatomy thought that a vein of blood ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. The vein was called vena amoris, or the vein of love. Thus, it was compelling and logical that the third finger should be the perfect part of the body to bear a ring symbolizing eternal love and commitment.
The Romans then in turn adopted the ring practice of the Greeks incorrect human anatomy without any scientific interpretation of their own. In the 12th century Pope Innocent III ordained that marriages must be celebrated in the church, and that the ceremony must include a marriage ring. Consequently, the custom of giving rings as a token of love and fidelity was adopted by Christians thus, giving wedding ring a religious significance. It was then that wearing a ring became a public pledge to honor the marriage contract between the unity of two people sharing their undying love for each other for eternity. During Roman times its civilization (the State) and early Christianity (the Roman Catholic Church) were closely linked so this greatly influence the wearing of a wedding ring to readily be accepted by the public. By the sixteenth century, the King of England (King Edward VI) officially designated the third finger as the ring finger and the left hand (the side of the heart), as the ?marriage? hand. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer declared that the wedding ring should be placed on the left hand."
That's pretty cool, but it doesn't answer the question of why it's always on the left hand.
Right hand, wrong woman (or man...)
My ring is kept in the drawer of the bedside table. My wife keeps hers in her desk drawer.
Is that the left hand drawer?
Why women have 2 hands:
I can't post the "why men have two hands" pic here, but I can tell you that one hand is for the remote. . . .