One of the traditional moments in every wedding ceremony is when the rings are placed on the bride and groom’s fourth finger of their left hand to symbolize their union. The significance of exactly why that digit was selected may have not occurred to the average married person.
A video made in China attempts to answer this question by explaining each finger in connection with family. Parents are meant to represent the thumb, siblings the index finger and yourself in the middle (or third) finger. A wife, husband or life partner is where the fourth finger comes into play, with the pinkie meant for any children.
Instructions are given in the video to join each hand, with each digit touching the other. In first separating the thumbs, it’s meant to show how parents won’t always be around, while separating the index fingers is meant to display how siblings move on to establishing their own lives.
The pinkie fingers are then separated to also indicate how children are destined for a life of their own. After then returning the pinkies to where they were before, a request is made to try and separate the finger where the ring is placed.
That task proves to be impossible, and is meant to symbolize how married or otherwise connected people are meant to have a lifetime bond. Such a connection is meant to last through all good and bad situations, especially with respect to the latter case, until one of the partners eventually dies.