www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Wedding Ring On Right Hand?

My wife and I just spent two wonderful weeks in Sofia, Bulgaria, from where we are adopting two sons. I noticed that our Bulgarian Orthodox friends wore their wedding bands on their right, rather than their left, hands. Is there a similar practice among Byzantine Catholics? Does anyone know the significance of doing that?

This is the custom among the Orthodox in India as well...others follow suit too. I think it's just based on the Eastern tendency to emphasise the right hand more than the left, as representing the good, or the "right hand of the LORD", or something similar to that...others probably know better than me, but that's what I know.

I think it is a tradition of the Byzantine Catholics also, but one, like so many others, has been been relegated to the back burner. I have seen Priests with the ring on the right hand. For myself, I wear it on the right hand also. I do so for two reasons: 1.) it is blessed and i feel there are benefits to signing one's self with blessed objects; and 2.) I am a musician ('cellist) and having it on te left hand causes tension on that hand that would potentially lead to tendonitis.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

The wedding ring is worn on the right hand by long tradition since the Jews of the Middle east, introduced by Christians from the Orthodox east and West---it is worn that way because ancient tradition stated that the vein from that finger went directly to the heart, the tradition is found throughout Europe, except for England where the ring is worn on the left hand because "it is the hand closer to the heart".

When I was married in the Orthodox Church, the priest placed the ring on my right hand and my wife and I have kept it there ever since. I was told by my priest that I could change it to the left hand after the wedding if we so desired as that is the cultural tradition in the United States. I have noted many Byzantines catholic and Orthodox still hold to the right hand for the ring to this date.

Your brother in Christ,
Thomas

It is traditional in Germany for people both Catholic and Protestant to wear their wedding rings on the right hand also.

Thank you all -- very helpful!

--Kurt

As we sign ourselves that Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, we are to reflect Jesus in our lives. As our homes become the domestic church, we become the head of that church. Crownings are the outward sign of the inward mystery that takes place between us and the Triune God. So our Crowning reflects our marriage to Jesus and his church.

rose

In many countries, it is tradition to wear the wedding ring on the right hand. German Lutherans I have known do this, as well as Eastern European Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

In America, the tradition is to wear the wedding ring on the left hand. I noticed that my older relatives who were married in the "old country" or by priests who were from the old country wore them on the right hand, but the ones who were born and/or married here tend to wear them on the left.

I've been to Orthodox weddings here where the priest placed the ring on either the left or the right. One couple I know who were recently married were definitely asked in advanced which hand they would wear it on. (They had come from the "old country" and so did the priest, and they chose the right. The wife told me later that she had never really noticed that Americans tended to use the left, so she thought it was an odd question until the priest pointed that out. Guess it never came up, before.)

What's most important of all, I think, in these days of high divorce rates, is that people WEAR their wedding rings and REFLECT upon the blessed vocation of marriage at all! :-)

Dear Friends,

This is one of those truly rare moments when I get to tell you that you are all WRONG!

The wearing of the wedding ring on the left hand is a pagan tradition that had to do with Roman belief in the vein being connected to the heart - not the right hand as our dear Orthodox Brother Thomas so wrongly stated )(Oh, I'm in a REAL good mood today!).

In the ancient world, palm-readers would read the left hand first, but not before caressing the vein that runs in the middle of the hand to stimulate what they believed were "psychic energies." (Don't ask me how I know this, I just know this).

Christians wore their wedding rings, symbols of the eternity of their love in Christ, on their right hand to signify their marriage in Christ Who sits at the Right Hand of the Father.

Later, they would also do this to keep the ring on the spiritually significant right hand with which we make the Sign of the Cross.

We are to glance at our wedding ring when we make the Sign of the Cross to remind ourselves of our union in Christ.

The right hand was venerated by Christians from time immemorial.

For example, the Sarum Rite and others blessed the right hand at Baptism to "enable" it to properly make the Sign of the Cross.

Prostrations are never done in the Eastern Church without a hanky or something else on the floor so that our right hand is not soiled.

And icons of the Mother of God in the East have traditionally placed the Christ-Child on Our Lady's right arm, although many times the "right arm" is figured in accordance with "our right arm."

Christian wedding bands often had a Cross inscribed or placed on the top. Married Christians also wore wedding belts inscribed with the Cross, like Orthodox monks do as well.

The Cross-Ring was later also used by pilgrims who would touch it to Relics of Shrines they visited. (There was an Eastern Christian supply store that used to sell such Rings).

Still later in the West, people would make knotches on their wedding rings and use it to say the Paternoster Psalter or Our Fathers and later the Rosary.

Have a nice day!

Alex

Cool!

I wear my wedding ring on my right hand for a very practical reason:

It won't fit on my left hand.

For some reason, my left hand is bigger than my right hand. When you see both my hands close together, the difference is noticiable at sight, but not so when they are not so close together.

Anyway, I've though of symbolism in the same lines mentioned earlier in this thread, it is good to know that there is a Christian tradition for that symbolism.

Thanks!

Shalom,
Memo.

Actually, in winter I end of right handing it, too. My right ring finger is bigger and my ring is in danger of sliding off my left when I pull off my gloves! And its one of those tri-twisted designs that can't be sized without probably ruining it. I figure as long as I wear it, that's the point!

A friend of mine briefly lost his wedding ring in an engine block. He got it back in one piece, but it was a really delicate procedure, as he tells it.

Also, I used to work with folks who did search & rescue. In some situations, wedding rings were prohibited as too dangerous. A lot of folk would do anything not to part with theirs including wearing them several layers under their uniforms around their necks. (Dog tags generally go there, so I guess they figured it wasn't adding to any hazard.)


[ 03-06-2002: Message edited by: Annie_SFO ]

Dear Alex,
Glory to Jesus Christ!

Sorry for the bad information. My Greek priest gave it to me on my wedding day, and I thought he was trustworthy (deep sigh).

Forgive me for the wrong info.

Your brother in Christ,
Thomas

Dear Thomas,

No problem, Big Guy, no problem!

It is just so rare for me to be able to say that everyone is wrong!

I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity

The ring symbolism is so rich and meaningful.

I can't tell you how dissed I was when I attended my wife's cousin's wedding.

The Bishop was the celebrant and after he placed the rings on their right hands, they, in full view of him, turned to each other and placed them on their left hands!

Bad taste, or what?

But once again, her side of the family . . .

God bless,

Alex