Okay, file this one under "trivia." But Pat's interesting comments on European practices remind me that in my own faith tradition--Eastern Orthodox Christian (Greek, Russian, Syrian, etc.)--there are some very ancient and distinctive practices concerning wedding rings. To wit: 1. Both bride and bridegroom receive rings. 2. The rings are blessed and conferred in a special ceremony, the "betrothal," that originally took place earlier than the wedding but is now just the first part of the wedding ceremony. 3. A wedding ring is worn on the fourth (third if you don't count the thumb) finger of the right hand. I believe these practices date back to the Byzantine Empire. More at http://www.ultimatewedding.com/articles/get.php? action=getarticle&articleid=921 . It's surely safe to assume, though, that Western European practices differed, even before the Great Schism of 1054. This post is almost irrelevant to VA-HIST discussions because I'm fairly certain there were no Orthodox churches in the commonwealth until well into the twentieth century. --Jurretta To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html