www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Ring--right hand or left?

I've noticed in both Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches that members wear their rings on both the right and left hands. Is donning the wedding ring on the left a result of simple assimilation to North American culture?
What do most on this forum do?

I know this may seem a little trivial but I can't help but wonder. (The priest put our wedding rings on our right hands...and we have kept them there.)

My wife and I were married in the Orthodox Church.
The priest put our rings on the right hand, according to Orthodox tradition, and both of us continue to wear our wedding rings on the right hand.

In the Netherlands Catholics wear the wedding right on the right hand and Protestants on the left hand.

I suppose if the dominant culture has the ring on whatever hand, it makes sense to have a ring on that finger or be prepared to be have someone get embarrased if they assume you are single. Here in Australia people look at the left hand regardless of their ethnicity. Some Greeks I know where a ring on the left hand as well as the right hand and some take it off the right after the wedding ceremony and put it on the left hand to indicate to all that they are now married.

Interesting, in Spain it is worn on the right hand.But then, it is a predominantly Catholic country too.
Here in USA the left hand is dominant. I don't know if Catholics change hands like the Greeks or not.

Peace,
Indigo

I wear it on the left (where it was originally put) but have always wanted to wear it on the right. It just seems to me that it should be on my dominant hand. The hand people will be seeing. It feels like it is in the wrong place on the left even though that's where it has always been. I'll have to look around on Sunday and see what everyone else does.

OK - I think you may well regret this

This question rang several bells with me so I went off on the hunt.

I think this is the thread of which I was thinking
Wedding rings 1

and thenhere is an older one

Wedding rings 2

Here's a story.
My wife and I were married in the Greek Orthodox Church.
I had my ring made to fit my left hand.
When it came time for our Koumbara to place the rings on our right hands, mine would not go on. I had stubbed my right ring finger many years ago playing basketball, and thus the 2nd joint is somewhat larger than the others.
The look on my Koumbara's face when trying to force the ring on my finger was priceless. It eventually went on.
We both wear our rings on the left hand.

Brad

Interesting. Apropos of nothing, this brought back to memory a comment by my Irish Catholic grandmother to the effect that Irish Protestants are referred to as "left footers", because they would always start off their famous parades "on the left foot". She would have had a ball with the "ring on the left hand" thing.

A scary thing, at least in this part of the country, is that a male wearing a wedding ring on the right hand is often assumed to be gay. Is that something peculiar to this region, or is this common in other areas?

Very curious! Here in Scotland, at least in the Glasgow area where sectarianism was rife and is still not extinct, Catholics are said to be left footers or to "kick with the right foot". I've never discovered why.
As for marching "left, right" I understand this goes back to the Roman Legions who always started off to war on the left foot (shield first).

Alex always has a profound perspective (from a previous thread)...

QUOTE]Originally posted by Orthodox Catholic:
Dear Friends,

There are a very few topics which you should just not try answering yourselves, but refer to me immediately - and this is one of them!

Christians have always worn their marriage rings on the right hand from the beginning.

The ring was the symbol, in Roman times, of authority.

Rings bore the insignia of the emperor or other sovereign with which executive documents were stamped in wax. The ring was also a symbol of authority in and of itself that belonged to our sovereign.

Christians wore rings with Crosses on them even while single for this purpose. Pilgrims sometimes had rings with crosses on them etc.

Married Christians not only wore rings, but also marriage belts with small religious images on them. The belt signified "girding with strength" and designated the married people as having been given special strength to endure the trials of life together.

But a pagan Roman tradition eventually crept into the Christian practice of wearing rings and dictated that it be worn on the left hand.

The Romans believed that a vein connecting to the heart ran from the finger next to the pinky finger of the left hand and so the wedding ring was placed on it - that practice has no other significance.

Christians place their rings on their right hand to signify their marriage in Christ Who sits at the Right Hand of the Father.

In actual fact, our right hand has a special religious significance since it is used in Crossing ourselves.

The Sarum Church always anointed the right hand of an infant about to be baptised to "empower" it to make the Sign of the Cross.

And Old Believers always use a pillow or mat for making prostrations since it would be unthinkable to soil the right hand with which we make the Sign of the Cross.

We should all wear our wedding rings on our right hand and we should look at it when we Cross ourselves to remind us that we have been united in Christ.

Our wedding bands, if possible, should also be inscribed with a Cross.

Mine isn't, but I've taken to wearing a Celtic rosary ring that has a Cross on it . . .

Alex [/QUOTE]

byzanTN,

I believe it is true for all parts of the States regarding the right hand and being 'gay'.

I've had several comments made by various people suggesting something to that effect. I always politely take the time to explain why I wear it proudly on the right.

If I can ever afford to get to Scotland (I've been to Ireland), I'll look you up. We've probably got a lot of good stories to swap.

In Christ,
Deacon Robert

All my family in Germany wear the wedding ring on the right hand also! They are all Catholic. hmmm.....

Any ex-GI who spent time in Germany can tell you that Germans wear the wedding ring on their right hands. Orthodox always have the rings placed on their right hands when married. Now I am curious what countries besides the Americans wear wedding rings on their left hands? My Swiss wife claims they wear on the left in Switzerland.