Wedding ring – right or left?
Which Hand is the one to choose?
Finally, the moment of the wedding ceremony has arrived. The wedding guests look eagerly at the couple, who are just taking the wedding rings off the cushion. But then the bride and groom pause. Which hand will they put the ring on now?
This scenario is actually very common and is not only based on the fact that the couple is usually facing each other in a mirror image. Depending on the region and religion, this question is answered differently.
In most countries, the wedding ring is worn on the left hand. These include the UK, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and the USA.
But in Germany, Austria and Poland, as well as Holland, Norway, Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ukraine, the wedding ring is traditionally worn on the ring finger of the right hand. Why is that?
The left hand closer to the heart
The wedding ring has always been an important part of marriage as a symbol of love, connection, belonging, unity and loyalty.
In ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, the wedding ring was worn exclusively on the left hand. They believed that there was a vein of love, „vena amoris“, which leads through the left ring finger directly into the heart. They therefore wore a loyalty ring, called a „fede“, on this finger.
Today we know: There is no such thing as the vein of love. But the tradition of wearing the wedding ring on the left hand has remained in many countries ever since. Today, it is usually justified by the fact that the left hand is simply closer to the heart.
Why did the ring move to the right side in some countries?
There is no clear, provable answer to this question. Only speculations can be made.
The Germanic tribes also believed in such a love vein. But they assumed it was not on the left hand, but on the right.
Another theory is that during the Reformation, Protestants wanted to separate themselves from Catholicism and as a result wore the wedding ring on the right hand as a deliberate act of protest.
The Bible says in Exodus: „The right hand stands for the good, the left hand for the bad“. And this theory can also be found in German usage. While words like „rechtens“, „aufrichtig“ or „Gerecht“ are associated positively, „link“ or „gelinkt“, for example, are associated negatively. Perhaps that is why the right hand established itself as the right one.
What is actually right?
In today’s world, what is pleasing is more and more valid.
The strict rules of marriage that were indispensable in earlier times are being discarded more and more. The good news is that there is no such thing as „right“ or „wrong“. There are also married couples who wear their rings on a necklace, for professional, sporting or reasons that are important to them alone.
The most important thing is that couples choose the hand to which they ascribe the greatest positive meaning symbolically and emotionally. The wedding ring retains the symbol of eternal love and deep commitment whether it is worn on the left or the right.
The only important thing is to decide which hand it will be before buying the rings. In most cases, the fingers of the right and left hand have different thicknesses and the ring should ultimately fit… in the best case, for a lifetime.