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August 19, 2008

Do you ever wonder what traditions lay behind rings and stones? We’ve all seen the classic engagement ring with the large center solitaire perched atop the shiny new band. But times have changed and now you’ll see rings that have multi-colored stones and rings that have no stones at all. So what is the history behind all these traditions?

The engagement ring is traditionally worn on the left ring finger and this dates back to ancient Rome, when people believed that the vena amoris (the vein of love) ran from the fourth finger of the left hand directly to the heart. Sweet right?

Here are some other interesting and fun traditions and their origins.
Why carry the bride over the threshold? Well, although it is chivalrous and very romantic the actual meaning came from a Western European tradition that if the woman tripped over the threshold the first time she entered it was bad luck, or if there were evil spirits in the home and the woman stepped on the threshold they would enter through the woman’s feet and doom the marriage. Although the history is interesting, I really like the chivalrous part better.

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue The saying, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” is a common rhyme that dates back to the Victorian times. “Something old” represents the bond with the bride’s family and her attachment to her old life. “Something new” is a representation of the couple’s new life and hopes for their happiness and success in their future. “Something borrowed” is an item that is given by a happily married woman and its purpose is to share happiness with the new couple and finally the “something blue” stands for fidelity and constancy. I’ve seen this tradition a lot but I have to say the funniest fulfillment of a “something blue” had to be a blue Bic ballpoint pen that a friend of mine received from a bridesmaid who found it in a drawer at the church. 

Posted by Linda at 7:33 pm  0 Comment(s)

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