Wedding RingsWedding rings, today, are a very symbolic thing. They are there to promise a never ending love and loyalty to the person that you are marrying. Pretty much, it is the physical representation of your wedding vows that you give to each other. This goes for women's wedding rings and men's wedding rings alike. Of course, you may not know this, but the history of wedding rings is not quite as romantic as you would want it to be. Although diamond wedding rings were still used as a symbolic thing, they were not all used like the wedding rings that we all know and love today. Now we are going to talk a little bit more about the history of wedding rings so you will know where this great wedding custom comes from. It's always nice to know where traditions got their start from. One thing that the wedding ring was always suppose to mean was a never ending circle of love. Since it's a band that goes all the way around your finger, it appears to have no end, just like your love. The beginning of the ring has no end, and therefore, your marriage will never have an end as well. Many cultures shared this same belief system, and it is still used today. Of course, there are still other theories about the shape of a wedding ring. Some places say that the rings represent two halves coming together to make a united whole, or a complete circle. Although this theory is not as popular, it is still talked about a lot. Of course, the meaning of the ring is not the only thing that changed. In fact, the place where we place the ring has changed as well to. Back during the earliest wedding ever recorded, the ring was not placed around the finger of the man or woman. In fact, it was placed around the extremities. This is because life expectancies were low, and people use to think that their spirits could fly right out of their bodies, ending their life. The ring was suppose to help with that. For example, the ancient husbands would not use rings, but wrap twigs around the ankles and the wrists of his wife. This was to prolong her life by keeping her spirit from flying away. Although this is a superstitious idea, it was the system that they counted on to work. The Egyptians and the Romans were the ones that came up with the idea to put it on the finger. They use to think that there was a vein that ran from the fourth finger all the way to the heart. Like a direct patch. Since it was connected to the heart, this was the logical place to put a wedding band. This idea has, of course, been passed on now and is universal. Some places place the ring in different locations and have different ideas about why it is place there, but overall, it's still placed in the same location. Wedding rings are something that have been around a long time. Both men's wedding rings and women's wedding rings are a symbolic thing, and that is why we still wear them today. |