An engagement ring is not just a piece of jewelry worn by newlyweds on their wedding day. The ring worn on the ring finger is a symbol of their eternal love, loyalty and devotion. Since it has the shape of a circle, it is identified with infinity, that is, with eternal love and reverent attitude towards a partner. 
In European countries, it was believed that a wedding ring, even removed only for the night, could lead to a serious illness of the spouse
Why can't you take off your wedding ring?
There are many reasons prompting to remove and remove the ring, ranging from elementary inconvenience to fear of losing a jewelry dear to your heart. However, many signs are strictly forbidden to remove the engagement ring after the wedding:
- From time immemorial, a circle or a circle protected from the evil effects of evil spirits, that is, he took off the ring – he left his body and soul unprotected.
- In European countries, it was believed that a wedding ring, even removed only for the night, could lead to a serious illness of the spouse or lead to significant disagreements that negatively affect the marriage.
- In many countries, the wedding ring is associated with eternity, love and fidelity. People living there believe that if you remove the wedding ring unnecessarily, then it will lose its magical properties and no longer protect the marriage.
- In no case should you take off to give the piece of jewelry to someone to try on. By giving the wedding ring to the wrong hands, you can not only let your fate be measured, but also destroy your relationship with your spouse.
- You cannot shoot and sell to people who are married. It is believed that by giving (selling) into the wrong hands, you are giving your family happiness.
- To remove and lose meant to destroy the marriage, since the wedding ring is a powerful talisman of marital relations.
It is believed that by giving (selling) into the wrong hands, you are giving your family happiness
Can you wear your wedding ring before your wedding?
There is hardly a man who wants to wear a ring before the wedding, but women have many reasons for putting on an engagement ring before the official wedding:
- the opportunity to save yourself from the undue attention of men;
- the desire to show off to colleagues and friends about the upcoming marriage;
- long-term relationship or civil marriage;
- desire to bring the wedding closer.
Despite the abundance of reasons prompting to wear a ring before the wedding, signs are advised not to do this, so as not to violate the magical properties of a pair of rings. It is believed that the rings prepared for the wedding should lie together until the moment of marriage registration.
The history of the origin of the tradition of wearing wedding rings
The tradition of wearing a ring on the day of the wedding has been known since the days of Ancient Egypt (Ancient Rome, scholars disagree). In those days, the spouses put on each other rings woven from reed and only a few centuries later they were replaced with metal jewelry.
An interesting fact is that the groom presented the ring not only to his chosen one, but also to her parents.
In ancient Greece, people getting married exchanged bracelets, which were then worn without removing. In Russia, the groom before the wedding handed the bride the key to his house, which meant that he invited her to become a full-fledged mistress in his house. After the adoption of Christianity, this tradition has sunk into oblivion and the key was replaced with a ring.
Until the middle of the last century, our grandparents in most cases wore jewelry made of silver or copper, and only by the 70s they began to cast wedding rings from gold.
According to scientists who study the traditions associated with marriage and wedding rings, in most ancient peoples, an integral attribute of marriage was worn on the middle finger of the left hand, since it was believed that this is where the nerve directly connected to the heart is located. By the way, the tradition of wearing a ring on the left hand has been preserved among some peoples in our time.
The only exceptions are the Orthodox, who wear a ring on the ring finger of their right hand and change it to their left only if one of the spouses dies. Muslims wear a ring only to a newly-made wife; men are not supposed to wear such jewelry. Many gypsies wear their wedding ring on a gold chain around their neck.
Despite the difference in traditions, representatives of many nationalities are unanimous: as long as one of the spouses is alive, it is impossible to take off the wedding ring.
In many countries, the wedding ring is associated with eternity, love and fidelity.
Why don't priests wear wedding rings?
Since time immemorial, there has been a tradition in the Russian Church that married priests are not allowed to wear a wedding ring, and, by the way, the absolute majority of priests adhere to this tradition.
Father's absence of a ring does not at all mean his indifference, let alone disregard for family and marriage. Nevertheless, there are good reasons forcing the clergyman to remove the inherent attribute of love and fidelity:
- A priest is a person with a special mission from the Church, that is, a priest cannot belong only to his family and his woman, his soul must have faith and love for the Almighty. It is precisely because the ring encloses love for the spouse within itself that it is removed during the ordination.
- The absence of a ring on his ring finger is a kind of reminder, meaning that now he must take care not only of his spouse and his family, but also the large family given to him by God – his parish.
- In addition, in the absence of a ring for the priest, there is also a purely technical aspect. During the celebration of the Liturgy, crumbs of the Body of Christ (bread) or particles of prosphora removed from the proskomedia can clog under the ring and later, God forbid, fall to the floor. And sacrilege will happen.
Believing in a sign and wearing a ring without taking it off, or considering all warnings as silly superstitions is everyone's personal business. However, many facts speak for themselves – the removed ring – to discord in the family and deterioration of family relations, but is it worth the risk?
