The festival season ends, and the wedding season begins. In The Wedding Ceremony, people first do engagement. It has been noted that whenever there is engagement, the ring is always worn on the ring finger of the left hand. Have you ever wondered why the name of the finger of the left hand is ring finger? Why is it not like that of the right hand? The tradition of wearing rings is very old. When a boy and a girl wear rings to each other, they get engaged. A ring on the ring finger of the left hand means that the person is “taken.”
Wearing a ring in the ring finger itself is not an arbitrary method; there is a historical reason for this. Let us see what the reason for wearing a ring on the ring finger is.
Wearing ring on the ring finger of the left hand
History
According to the BBC, the tradition of wearing rings dates back to ancient Egypt. Archaeologists have found evidence in hieroglyphs that brides must have been wearing rings at that time. People have been seen wearing wedding rings on their left-hand ring fingers since the ancient Greeks and Romans. Apart from this, the wearing of wedding rings has also been seen in some other ancient cultures. The ring finger of the left hand is the first choice for wearing a wedding ring; why is it so?
There is a poignant explanation behind this. In ancient times, people believed that the vein of the ring finger of the left hand goes directly to the heart. The heart was certainly considered the emotional center at the time. That’s why the ancient Romans called the ring finger of the left-hand ‘vena amoris’. It means ‘vein of love’ in Latin. If you have seen Shahrukh Khan and Kajol‘s movie named Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge, then you must have noticed that this thing has been said in it as well.
Is it a myth?
Information about human physiology was received long after this interpretation. When people started reading about the human body, they realized that there is no such vein that goes directly from the ring finger to the heart. Now we all know that the job of the heart is to pump blood. The heart does not function to express feelings. Hypothalamus and pituitary gland are responsible for this. The pituitary gland is the only place from where hormones are released for every emotion of the body so that a person feels happiness, sadness, and romance.
Talking about western civilization, the ring finger tradition is not considered For Weddings there. Some cultures decide on which hand they should wear the ring. Couples in European countries such as Austria, Denmark, and Germany wear rings on their right hand instead. In India, too, the right hand is used for marriage because people in India consider the left hand unclean. Variations in the ring finger tradition of marriage show that even the longest-standing marriage traditions do not have to be hard and fast. Whatever the reason, the tradition of wearing a ring on the ring finger of the left hand for marriage is still practiced with devotion in many places. We should respect ancient tradition whether it is logical or not.
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