It seems like we have always been wearing our wedding rings on the left hand. But does anyone really know why?
Our mothers did, our grandmothers did and their mothers before them did too.
History tells us that there was once a time when it was a huge social no-no to do anything with our left hands - including wear a wedding band!
Centuries before, couples from many cultures wouldn't dare to wear a wedding band on their left hand.
In medieval times, anyone caught writing with their left hand would have been accused of being possessed. Left hand dominant people were even tortured or killed during the terrors of the Spanish Inquisition.
So what changed? Find out on the next page!
The aversion to our left hands stretched across many centuries and can be found in many cultures around the world.
In Islamic countries, it was highly taboo to eat and drink with one's left hand. In Japan, any wife who discovered to be left-handed could be legally divorced on the spot, no questions asked.
But, it wasn't always this way. Somewhere in the course of history, an aversion to the left hand developed and then disappeared.
Before it was unlucky, the second-century Egyptians (falsely) believed that a "delicate nerve" began in the fourth left finger and set a course through our bodies straight to the heart.
Later, Romans believed that a "lover's vein" - or vena amoris - connected the left ring finger to the love and blood pumping organ.
While some believe that our modern practice of placing a wedding ring on the left fourth finger originated from the Romans, others believe that it began as a Christian ritual.
Worshipers in an Orthodox Church join the thumb with the index and middle finger when they cross themselves. Historians explain that this grouping represented the father, son and Holy Ghost, while the ring finger signified earthly love.
Since it was associated with strength, for many years, Orthodox couples wore rings on their right hands. Most Europeans followed this trend.
But, a Protestant reformer, and English Bishop named Thomas Cranmer changed everything when he published The Book of Common Prayer.
He used the wedding ring as a means to symbolically break with tradition, encouraging new couples to favor their left forth finger over their right.
Soon, new husbands and wives throughout Europe were wearing their rings on their left hand, instead of the right.
Today, it has become so ingrained in Western culture that many people believe that it is bad luck to wear any jewelry on their left fourth finger before an engagement ring.
How important is it for you to keep your wedding finger free? Let us know in the comments below!
[h/t Mentalfloss]
