World News for Students of English

20-08-2024 15:00

The exact history of the wedding ring isn’t absolutely clear; however, one belief dates it to ancient Egypt.

Egyptian pharaohs believed that a ring symbolized eternity due to its circular shape with no beginning and no end. Egyptians also believed in ‘veni amoris’, the vein of love. It is the vein in the fourth finger on the left hand that directly connects to the heart; people still commonly wear a wedding ring on that finger.

When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, Greeks adopted the tradition of giving a ring to show devotion and the tradition carried on when the Romans conquered the Greeks. According to some experts, the Romans viewed the ring as a symbol of a husband’s ownership over his wife, contrary to a sign of love.

Later, rings became popular in the West, especially during World War II. Men were going off to fight, and they gave rings to their girlfriends as a promise to wed when they returned.

In the 1950s, diamond company De Beers popularized the diamond ring for weddings and engagements. According to a survey, 86% of engagement rings in the US today include a diamond center stone, and an average wedding ring costs 6,000 dollars.

Difficult words: eternity (time that never ends), devotion (loyalty and love for someone or something), wed (to marry someone).

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