5.0066 Wedding Rings (2/29)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 15 May 91 21:18:00 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0066. Wednesday, 15 May 1991.


(1) Date: Tue, 14 May 91 08:39 EDT (11 lines)
From: <BRIGGSK@CITADEL>
Subject: wedding band on left hand

(2) Date: Tue, 14 May 1991 11:13 EST (18 lines)
From: Len Bliss <BLISSLB@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Wedding rings on left hand

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 May 91 08:39 EDT
From: <BRIGGSK@CITADEL>
Subject: wedding band on left hand

I always heard that the wedding band was worn on the left because it is
closer to your heart. I've never heard of US widows moving their rings
to the right,but occasionally I see someone wearing an old engagement
ring (after a divorce or if the wedding doesn't happen) on some other
finger or on the right hand.

Kasey Briggs
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Tue, 14 May 1991 11:13 EST
From: Len Bliss <BLISSLB@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Wedding rings on left hand

I don't have the answer to the Bogdan Karasek's question on why North
American's wear their wedding rings on the left hand, but I suspect we
may, indeed be dealing with a North American, or at least an Anglo Saxon,
tradition. An autobiographical case in point:
When Linda and I were married in an orthodox Jewish ceremony 24 years
ago, the rabbi conducting the ceremony directed me to place the ring on
the index finger of her right hand. His explanation was that this was so
that when she pointed at me and said, "This is my husband," the ring
would be seen. An interesting, perhaps somewhat chauvanistic, aside is
that this was a double ring ceremony and his directed Linda to place my
ring on my left ring finger. I've seen this tradition at numerous
Jewish weddings.
Oh yes, immediately after the ceremony, Linda switched the ring to
her left hand, where she continues to wear it.