Why do we wear are wedding rings on the third finger left hand?

Answer 1

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Why is a wedding ring always worn on the third finger?

Modern "authorities" on etiquette follow their predecessors in matrimonial procedure, in urging that the wedding ring always be worn on the third finger.

Before medical science discovered how the circulatory system functioned, people believed that a vein of blood ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. Because of the hand-heart connection, they chose the descriptive name vena amori, Latin for the vein of love, for this particular vein.

Based upon this name, their contemporaries, purported experts in the field of matrimonial etiquette, wrote that it would only be fitting that the wedding ring be worn on this finger. By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other.

xxR

Answer 2

Why do we use the third finger of the left hand?
But even in these days of cardiothoracic science, it's not easy to put a ring around the heart. So in the old days they had a simple answer: they put the ring on the third finger which they believed had a vein, artery or nerve (a sort of a USB cable) running directly to the heart. And as the left hand is a bit closer to the heart than the right, they placed engagement and wedding rings on the third finger of the left hand. (Actually, during some periods in the past, the ring was worn on the right hand; a practice that continues to this day in some cultures, since the right hand is considered more righteous.)

Answer 3

The choice of finger relates to traditions purportedly dating to classical times, from an early usage reportedly referring to the fourth finger of the left hand as containing the vena amoris or "vein of love". A tradition established a belief that this vein ran directly from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. This theory has been cited in western cultures as one of the reasons the engagement ring and/or wedding ring was placed on the fourth finger, or "ring finger". At least in part due to this tradition, it became acceptable to wear the wedding ring on this finger. By wearing rings on the fourth finger of their left hands, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. This has now become a matter of tradition and etiquette.

In some Western cultures (USA, UK), the wedding ring is worn on the left hand. In other countries such as Germany, India, Venezuela and Chile, however, it is worn on the right hand. In Spain it is also worn on the right, except by Catalan people. Orthodox Christians, Eastern Europeans and Jews also traditionally wear the wedding band on the right hand. In The Netherlands, Catholic people wear it left, all others right. But in Austria, Catholic people wear it right. Greek people, many being Orthodox Christians, also wear the wedding rings on the right hand in keeping with Greek tradition. A traditional reason to wear the wedding ring on the right hand stems from Roman custom. The Latin word for left is "sinistra", a word that evolved into the English "sinister". The Latin word for right is "dexter", a word that evolved into "dexterity". Hence, the left hand had a negative connotation and the right a good one.

Answer 4

Technically it's called the fourth finger. The ring finger tradition was started by the Romans, who believed that the fourth finger was connected directly to the heart by a vein which they called the love vein. For this reason, the fourth finger of the left hand has been adopted through the ages as the ideal place for the wedding ring (as it's the closest place to the heart).

Answer 5

Because of an old belief that there's a vein in this finger that runs directly to the heart. In some cultures, people wear wedding bands on the ring finger of their right hand (e.g., in Russia).

Answer 6

In ancient Greek times it was believed that the vein in your ring finger on your left hand ran straight to your heart. The wedding ring was also used as a type of shackel for women in ancient times.

Answer 7

It's the fourth finger on the left hand, next to the little one.
Cos it is directly connected to the heart by a nerve, unlike the other fingers.

Answer 8

I read somewhere that we wear them on hte left hand becae it's cloer to th heart than the right hand. As for the third finger, I am unsure. My thought is that it is the least used finger of the hand, generally, therefore you could worry less about doing something with your hand that would damage your ring. Bt i'm sure there's a much more interesting explanation for it.

Answer 9

an old wives tale was it was the only blook vessel that led to the heart....that's not true though as it was proven that that blood vessel is seperated somewhere along the arm. Looong time ago, someone somewhere beleived that and that's how it came that we wear our wedding bands on our third finger on the left hand.

Answer 10

There was a theory that a vein ran straight from your heart, down your arm, through that finger. Therefore, the ring was placed on that finger so it could be connected to the heart.