Not everyone wears wedding rings. This is often associated with a profession when hands must be freed from various types of jewelry. For example, these could be surgeons or mechanics who cannot wear rings while working or are simply uncomfortable. But anyone can buy an engagement ring. Traditionally, wedding rings are made of gold and have a rounded rim. The American type of wedding ring has a flatter bezel in appearance and is often made of white gold.
However, all this, what shape the ring is and what color the metal from which it is cast, is completely unimportant for the church. It may not even be gold, but less expensive silver or even a simple metal. The main thing in the ring blessing ceremony is faith in God and the desire to be pure before the Lord.
The blessing of wedding rings often occurs during the wedding ceremony. Both spouses are carefully prepared for it. There are several rules that are important to follow before the ceremony. Usually the priest talks about them. They are simple, but for some they will be difficult due to upbringing.
- Keeping the fast. According to church canons, gluttony is one of the nine deadly sins. Therefore, the wedding ceremony must be cleansed.
- Remove alcohol from the menu.
- Don't smoke before the wedding.
- Don't slander.
- Go through the ritual of repentance and communion.
You should agree on the ritual in advance, because the priest can set a date two to three weeks in advance. The date chosen will depend on church schedules, holidays, etc.
If the wedding ritual is scheduled for Sunday, then the wedding itself should be held on Saturday. In this case, the newlyweds should also refrain from drinking alcohol and comply with all the above conditions. The first wedding night in this case is also postponed. After all, according to the rules of the church, spouses recognized by a state institution are still strangers to each other.
What about the wedding table? Your fast begins at 12 o'clock at night and lasts until the ceremony itself. So it won’t be very difficult to abstain.
If you are planning to get married in front of the altar, then you will not need to illuminate the wedding rings. This happens during the wedding. But remember, you must sincerely believe in what is happening. Only then the ceremony of blessing the rings and the marriage itself will become not just a tick in your biography, but a real celebration.
Important fact. Both people getting married must be baptized in the same faith. If you have not been baptized, then you need to be baptized.
What to do if you have been married for a long time, but only now decided to get married and consecrate the rings?
The easiest way is to go to church, where the priest will tell you what to do in your case and how to consecrate the rings at home, if at all possible. But all the above rules will not change. Fasting and renunciation of all kinds of excesses, including intimate pleasures, will be necessary.
Remember that consecrated rings during the wedding sacrament cease to be just decorations. It is now a symbol of connection before God, and not just an indicator of your marital status.
Is it necessary to consecrate the ring in the temple?
In order for the ring to be protection for its owner, a rite of consecration must be performed over it.
If the ring was purchased at a jewelry store, then it must be consecrated according to Orthodox canons, otherwise it will only be a decoration.
Many people recommend consecrating the ring at home, but it is worth saying that illumination is a sacrament that can only be performed by a priest, so illuminating the ring at home will not bring any results, i.e. it will just be a beautiful trinket.
What if the ring turns black?
According to popular beliefs, if the “Save and Preserve” amulet turns black, this may negatively affect the life path of its owner.
To prevent all kinds of misfortunes, the following precautions should be taken:
- you should not get involved in various disputes or fights;
- it is necessary to monitor spiritual and physical health;
- one cannot begin to repair something that a person has not been taught;
- It is necessary to protect yourself from natural disasters.
How to illuminate a prayer ring
In this worthy publication, I will tell you how to consecrate a wedding ring and any other ring at home. You will need holy water, candles, icons.
In the morning, go to the nearby Church.
Buy a metal icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and an arbitrary number of candles.
Bring home holy water too.
To consecrate the ring you will have to remove it for a while.
Sit peacefully at the table. Place your wedding (or any other) ring in the saucer.
Light the purchased candles.
Place the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant on the ring.
Bless it by sprinkling it with holy water and reciting the “Our Father” prayer.
Having crossed yourself, read Psalm number 90.
Place the home-blessed ring on your finger.
Drink the holy water yourself.
Put the icon and Prayer Book where you usually communicate with God (some people call this place in the apartment a “holy corner”).
The ring is consecrated only once.
Wear it and be happy.
The material was prepared by me, Edwin Vostryakovsky.
The tradition of consecrating the place where a person lives or works appeared a long time ago. Initially, there were no specific canons when consecrating a house: either a prayer was read for the consecration of every thing in the house by a layman, or holy water was taken and sprinkled with it on everything that was considered necessary to consecrate. Subsequently, they began to invite a priest for these purposes. After all, through the priest God ascends into the house and grace descends. If you want to consecrate an apartment or house, but don’t do it because your relationship with the local priest has not worked out, you are denying yourself and your loved ones God’s blessing. Regardless of interpersonal relationships with the clergyman, bless the apartment. This is done once. You can consecrate not only your home and office, but also places where people often visit. If your husband spends half the day in the garage, bless the garage. If some kind of misfortune or crime happened in the house, then it must be consecrated again.
It is worth noting a number of cases when consecration is simply vital, even if you had not planned to consecrate anything before. For example, strange things began to happen in the house: creaks, knocks, some steps in an empty corridor, water suddenly begins to flow from a closed, working tap, returning home in the evening, you see a light in the window, although you remember perfectly well that you turned off the electricity. Urgently call a priest - he will read an Orthodox prayer for the consecration of every thing, and your home will be under the protection of an invisible guardian angel. Another example, when you urgently need a strong protective prayer from the priest for the sanctification of any thing: you bought a car, but your new car every now and then presents some unpleasant surprises: the steering wheel will jam, the gearbox will malfunction, or even get into an accident.
The consecration ceremony lasts approximately half an hour. During this time, a house or other object is sprinkled with holy water, anointed with oil, and fumigated with smoke from a censer. The priest says real Orthodox prayers for the consecration of every thing. In them, he asks God for the safety of his home, office, car from fires, robberies, and accidents. He prays that peace, tranquility and love will always reign in the consecrated house. Therefore, it will be better if, when consecrating an apartment, all residents living in it are present, and if you are consecrating an enterprise, then all employees.
You need to sprinkle the desired thing three times with holy water and read the words of the Orthodox prayer to God - the Creator and Maker of the human race, the Giver of spiritual grace, the Giver of eternal salvation, Himself, Lord, sending the Spirit to those who want to use it Your Holy One with the highest blessing on this thing, as yes armed with the power of heavenly intercession for those who want to use it, it will be helpful for bodily salvation and intercession and help, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
ABOUT THE SANCTIFICATION OF THINGS
Important! — There is no need to consecrate the baptismal robe. It is believed that these items acquire special grace during the Sacrament of Baptism, therefore baptismal clothing is reverently kept throughout life.
— There is no need to consecrate the rings separately; they are consecrated during the wedding ceremony.
Consecration of icons and crosses. Icons are accepted in the Orthodox tradition. After the icon painter has completed his work, special prayers are read by the priest, and then the image is sprinkled with holy water. However, before the ceremony, the icon must be treated with the same reverence as after, because it depicts images of the Lord, the Mother of God and many saints. A person’s pectoral cross is also blessed. Usually this happens in advance before the Sacrament of Baptism. On the cross, in addition to the image of the Crucified Christ, there must be the inscription IC XC. When purchasing a cross, you can check in the store whether the cross has been consecrated. If not, then you need to warn the priest about this. Then, during the Sacrament itself, he will perform consecration.
Consecration of real estate. Very often, Orthodox Christians invite a priest to consecrate their homes. The ritual is performed according to the established order. Images of the cross are applied to the walls (special stickers), then they are anointed with holy oil, and then the entire home is sprinkled with holy water. Work premises are also blessed. For example, offices, workshops, production, etc. There are often cases when, after performing the ritual, equipment in production premises stops breaking down, and unforeseen unpleasant situations occur less often. There are known facts that after the consecration of various institutions during the fire, it was these buildings that were preserved. Of course, one should not perceive sanctification as a panacea for all ills. We must understand that having the boldness to ask God for special protection of our worldly homes and buildings, we must make every effort to increase goodness in them and try to preserve the blessing that is given during the rite of consecration.
Blessing of products. As you know, during Easter or the celebration of the Savior, it is customary to bless products. However, this does not mean that we can bring whatever we want (cheese, sausage, salads, etc.). According to a centuries-old pious tradition, Easter cakes and Easter cakes are blessed. Unfortunately, not all believers can receive Communion on the Great Feast; consecrated foods serve as a consolation for them. What for some reason was not eaten cannot be considered desecrated: it is unacceptable to throw food in the trash or into sewers. The crumbs should be fed to the birds, and the eggshells can be buried in a place where it is impossible to walk with your feet. (i.e. consecrated particles will not be trampled). During the honey Savior (August 14) honey is blessed, during the apple Savior (August 19) - apples, grapes, plums, during the nut or bread Savior (August 29) - nuts, as well as bread.
Will blessing the rings bring happiness?
A sincerely believing person will not allow adultery and will not humiliate his other half. When you consecrate your marriage in church in front of the altar, you vow to love and respect each other until death. It is your sincere faith that should become a strong guarantee of happiness, and the rings consecrated in the church will constantly remind you of your vows.
If your faith is not deep, you treat this tradition superficially or are trying to pay tribute to fashion, then the wedding and consecration of the rings will not have the power to bring you happiness. Only faith can give this feeling, and not a thoughtless ritual.
Why does the “Save and Save” ring break?
Despite the fact that the Orthodox faith has long been established with its own traditions and rituals, there are nevertheless certain pagan signs that the people believe in.
For example, if the “Save and Preserve” ring breaks, but, as the clergy say, there are no prejudices in this, but the people say that this will lead to misfortune.
There is an opinion in society that a cracked ring prevents misfortune from its owner, as if making a ransom and saving him from unforeseen circumstances.
How to light a ring at home
In this worthy publication, I will tell you how to consecrate a wedding ring and any other ring at home. You will need holy water, candles, icons.
In the morning, go to the nearby Church.
Buy a metal icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and an arbitrary number of candles.
Bring home holy water too.
To consecrate the ring you will have to remove it for a while.
Sit peacefully at the table. Place your wedding (or any other) ring in the saucer.
Light the purchased candles.
Place the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant on the ring.
Bless it by sprinkling it with holy water and reciting the “Our Father” prayer.
Having crossed yourself, read Psalm number 90.
Place the home-blessed ring on your finger.
Drink the holy water yourself.
Put the icon and Prayer Book where you usually communicate with God (some people call this place in the apartment a “holy corner”).
The ring is consecrated only once.
Wear it and be happy.
The material was prepared by me, Edwin Vostryakovsky.
If there is no Orthodox Church nearby, you can consecrate a new item at home. By saying prayers, you cleanse every object from the evil presence.
Having made a large purchase, having received a souvenir from someone’s hands, you bring the thing into the apartment.
Fashionable gold earrings, silver bracelet.
These are all things that need sanctification.
I offer you 3 texts that you don’t need to know by heart.
While at home, put every thing in front of you.
Sit in Orthodox humility.
Read the prayers below.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. Sanctify this thing that lies before me with your kindness. Let it not tempt, let it not interfere with faith. Cleanse the thing from various troubles so that it does not cause harm. Amen.
When does the amulet change color?
As a rule, when silver interacts with air, a dark film appears on the surface, and this fact often frightens ring owners. In some cases, the darkening of the ring indicates that its owner is not all right with the body, i.e. certain inflammatory processes are taking place.
Nowadays, “Save and Preserve” amulets, called chameleon rings, are very popular. They can change color due to interaction with the environment and the human body.
For example, if the ring is black, this indicates that the body is under stress. When a gray tint appears, it indicates tension. Yellow means the person is worried. The most optimal color, which shows that everything is in order with the body, is green.
When the color of the sea green appears, we can say that the person is in a state of relaxation. The blue color indicates that the human body has produced a hormone of happiness.
Where is the best place to buy a “Save and Preserve” ring?
Priests recommend buying such a ring in church shops, but not in jewelry stores.
Despite the low cost, a silver ring is considered the best.
If a believer wears religious amulets, then the amulet, cross and ring should not all be made of the same metal, gold or silver.
If, nevertheless, the ring was purchased outside the church, then in this case it must be taken to the church for consecration. Through the Orthodox amulet, where there is the inscription “Save and Preserve,” you can feel the materialization of what you believe in.
Only true faith can imbue certain things with power. The main faith is in the human soul. The person himself must be devoted to God and keep all his commandments.
Which finger is best to wear jewelry on?
There is a huge amount of controversy regarding which finger the ring with the inscription-amulet should be worn on. The priest explained that such a talisman jewelry can be worn on any finger that is involved in the process of “placing” a cross on oneself (thumb, middle and index of the right hand). Moreover, if a person is not married, then even the ring finger of the right hand is suitable for wearing a ring (though only if the person has previously undergone baptism).
If the amulet ring is passed down from generation to generation, then it should be worn on the middle finger of the right hand and nothing else.
