Why Is The Wedding Ring Worn On The Fourth Finger?

Ever witnessed an engagement and watched two people exchange rings and wonder why this particular finger? Why is the fourth finger, next to the pinky, the only finger for wedding rings? That too for centuries!

While the short answer blends romance, religion and a little bit of practicality, the long answer highlights the hidden myth and meaning and ritual behind this tradition and how different cultures, while still following this tradition, like to give it their own spin.

Symbolism Of Wearing A Wedding Ring

It turns out that this seemingly minute detail of wedding etiquette has a long history that traces back to ancient Egypt, when archaeologists first point to the presence of rings and their symbolism for love and eternity. The circle of the band was seen as a gateway to the unknown, representing infinity. Back in 2500 BCE, couples exchanged braided hemp or leather bands on the fourth finger, which the Egyptians believed to be directly connected to the heart.

Thereafter, the prevalence of these rings was seen across ancient Rome when Romans embraced the Egyptian symbolism but with a twist of their own. Calling it Vena (vein)-the vein of love-the Romans and Christians, later began incorporating these rings into Christian wedding ceremonies, blessing them as tokens of fidelity. Roman law also gave a legal weight to these rings as it incorporated them into marriage contracts.

In the Renaissance and Reformation period during the 15th and 16th centuries, the church standardised the practice. In England, the 1549 Book of Common Prayer put in place instructions for grooms to place the ring particularly on the fourth finger of the bride’s left hand, making it a liturgical law.

This tradition, thereon, spread through Anglicanism and later made it to the colonial expansion, with the British Raj in India popularising the exchange of rings on the left hand. However, as the tradition made it to India, it got a more personalised spin to it, linking it with Indian religions, traditions and beliefs. 

In Victorian England in the 19th century, romance blended with jewellery as diamonds grew to be the ultimate symbol of love after the discovery of South African mines in the late 1800s. This brought wedding rings further into the limelight in the world of fashion.

This was then made into a global fashion by the 20th century as the world of advertising and cinema evolved after the early 1900s. The famous De Beers slogan, “A Diamond is Forever”, played a major role in cementing the left-hand, fourth finger solitaire as an engagement symbol, with every country coming to an agreement that it had to be the fourth finger.

Connection Between the Vein of Love And Wedding Rings

The practice of wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger-according to one of the oldest explanations-comes from the Latin idea of vena amoris or the vein of love. Ancient writers believed that a special vein in the fourth finger ran to the heart. However, modern anatomy proves otherwise and states that all fingers have veins that eventually connect to the heart. But the sheer romanticism in the idea that the vein of the fourth finger directly links to the heart has outlived the science. 

While myths and beliefs, especially stemming from emotions, are powerful, this tradition was standardised by religion when England’s Book of Common Prayer guidebook for church ceremonies-formally instructed the grooms to follow it. The instruction gave the custom a global permanence, planting it in cultures where it blended perfectly with the existing rituals.

Should You Wear Your Wedding Ring On The Left Or Right Hand?

But why should the ring only be worn on the left hand? Here’s the twist: not everyone agrees that it should be worn on the left hand. While in the UK, US, France, Italy and most of the Western Europe, the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, in countries like Greece, Russia, Spain and much of central and Eastern Europe, it is worn on the fourth finger of the right hand because the Eastern Orthodox ceremonies once believed the left hand to be unlucky.

Nonetheless, in some cultures, it is subjective and the ring shifts from left to right during the wedding ritual. The one thing that remained unchanged was the charm of the symbolism of that vein of love, as the finger remained remarkably consistent across the world even today.

Even in India, while the wedding ring is still worn on the fourth finger but it is often worn on the right hand since, for centuries, the left hand was considered inauspicious in the Hindu culture when it came to rituals. The right hand was, on the other hand, associated with purity and action and was viewed as the better choice for wedding adornments.

Many grooms and sometimes the brides also wore their wedding rings on their right hands because in Vedic astrology, the ring finger is connected to the sun, symbolising strength, energy and marital harmony. Many people believed that wearing gold on the fourth finger would channel the sun’s positive energy into the couple’s married life. 

The Charming Beliefs Surrounding The Wedding Ring

Today, as the influence of the movies, global fashion and luxury jewellery trends continue to increase, most modern-day couples prefer to wear their wedding bands on the fourth finger of the left hand instead of the right, with only some still honouring the tradition during engagement or religious ceremonies.

Amidst all the beliefs and myths surrounding the ritual, one practical reason that can be seen is that the ring finger is the least used out of all the fingers, which means the ring is least likely to get scratched or lost. Often, right-handed people wear it on the left to keep it rather safe. The fourth finger is discreet, and ideal for protecting expensive wearables-something that is appreciated by jewellers.

The practice of exchanging rings and wearing them on the ring finger, despite the multiple twists to the tradition, has remained consistent through time and even transcended borders with its roots deep in history, enriched by culture and beliefs.