the 4th finger that connected directly to the heart. It was called the “vena amoris,” or “love vein.” When Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe, the vena amoris was replaced with a holy seal. Priests would take the wedding ring and touch the first three fingers of the left hand (thumb, index and middle) while reciting: “the father, the son and the holy ghost.” Upon reaching the 4th finger, the ring was placed on it to seal the marriage.
For a long while the ring went from being a symbol of endless love, to that of ownership. The Romans used it like a branding. It was worn by the husband’s wife, to signify his ownership over her. Two thousand years ago, in Asia, this ownership concept was taken to a new level with “puzzle rings.” These were rings that were worn by brides as a sign of loyalty. If a bride were to take her puzzle ring off, it would fall to pieces. These pieces could then only be put back together by knowing the solution to the puzzle.
So what of the history of other common wedding traditions?
One interesting tradition is the presence of a flower on the buttonhole of the groom. The flower matches one of the flowers in the bride’s bouquet. This was a holdover from medieval times, when a knight would wear his lady’s colours in order to signify his love for her. I suppose that means that in one small way, chivalry isn’t dead.
Then we have the confetti. Prior to being paper, confetti was originally a mix of
rose petals, rice and grain. Before that, it consisted of various sweets which were thrown over the couples as they emerged from the church. It originated in Italy. In fact, confetti is Italian for: candy.
Finally, what “history of weddings” article would