A ring,also referred as a band,is an ornament worn as a jewelery or a given during the wedding ceremony by the groom or bride to indicate that the wearer is married.Also it is given to a future spouse.
Depending on the local culture,it is worn on the base of the right or left ring finger.It was worn by women only but it has spread widely and now worn by both men and women.
According to some customs,the wedding ring is seen as a gift such as engagement ring,traditionally given as a betrothal present.By wearing rings on the fourth finger, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. This has now become a matter of tradition and etiquette.
Among the eastern orthodox and eastern Catholics christian s,the exchange of rings is not technically part of the wedding service but are exchanged at the betrothal.
The future bridegroom may also give his future bride a jeweled ring most commonly set with a diamond upon proposing to her. After the wedding the wedding ring is worn on the ring finger, closest to the hand, and the engagement ring is worn in front of it. The rings usually match and sometimes interlock or are fused together to form one ring
In several traditions, the best man or maid of honor may have the duty of keeping track of a couple’s wedding rings and to produce them at the symbolic moment of the giving and receiving of the rings during the traditional marriage ceremony. In more elaborate weddings, a ring bearer (that is, part of the family of the bride or groom) may assist in the ceremonial parading of the rings into the ceremony, often[ on a special cushion.
In older times, the wedding rings were not only a sign of love, but were also linked to the bestowal of ‘earnest money’. According to the prayer book of Edward VI: after the words ‘with this ring I thee wed’ follow the words ‘This gold and silver I give thee’, at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride.
Some cultures exchange additional rings: In some parts of India, Hindus may use a toe ring or bichiya which is worn instead of a ring on a finger; although this is only for women, and increasingly worn along with a finger ring. In the eastern parts of India, primarily West Bengal, an iron bangle, or ‘loha,’ is worn by women. Increasingly, this bangle is given a gold or silver coating to improve its appearance. In Romania spouses celebrate their silver wedding anniversary (25 years of marriage) by exchanging silver wedding rings, which are worn on the 4th finger of the left hand along with the original (usually gold) wedding ring.
