wedding rings

[Ralph Cleminson]

To the best of my knowledge the wearing of the wedding ring by
married people on the right hand is more or less universal in
continental Europe; it is the British who are out of step by wearing
it on the left.  It is noticeable that the Book of Common Prayer
actually specifies that the ring should be worn on the third finger
of the left hand (and, incidentally, assumes that it will be worn by
the wife only): the Orthodox ritual only prescribes that the priest
should put the couple's rings "on their hands".

It certainly was believed in pre-modern anatomy that there was a vein
leading directly from the left-hand ring-finger to the heart.  One
cannot, however, assume that this was the reason for the insular
practice regarding wedding rings - anatomical theory may have
developed as a response to matrimonial practice, or the two could be
completely unconnected in origin.  The idea that Russians chose to
put the ring on the right, i.e. "correct" finger is unconvincing -
why should English speakers then put it on the "wrong" one?  Still
more unlikely is any connexion with the name of the Orthodox
religion, correctly rendered in Slavonic as "pravoslavnyj", not
"desnoslavnyj".

Regarding the designation of the ring as "obruchal'noe", the Orthodox
wedding service consists of two parts, the betrothal (obruchenie) and
the crowning (venchanie).  They were originally distinct, but
nowadays these are usually combined into a single service (though as
far as I know this is still not obligatorily so).  It is at the
betrothal that the bride and groom express their commitment to each
other and rings are used in token of this.  There are, however, no
rings involved in  the service of crowning, in which the sacrament of
Holy Matrimony is administered and which is the actual marriage
service in the strict sense.
R.M.Cleminson,
Professor of Slavonic Studies,
University of Portsmouth,
Park Building,
King Henry I Street,
Portsmouth PO1 2DZ
fax: +44 1705 846040