Triple Ring Exchange (Eastern Orthodox Tradition)
The wedding rings are blessed during the betrothal ceremony. After reciting blessings and biblical passages, the priest makes the sign of the cross while holding the rings and declaring the betrothal. He may hold the rings in his hands while pressing the foreheads of the couple three times each. Then, either the priest or the koumbaros (the best man) exchanges the rings between the couple’s fingers three times, signifying that the weakness of one will be compensated by the other. Because the right hand has a rich and symbolic history in the Church, the rings are usually placed on the third finger of the right hand.
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