Why does the man get down on one knee when he proposes?

There is no clear historical origin of the idea of proposing with a bent knee, but the gesture bears striking resemblance to many other ceremonial situations, including:

* Kneeling during prayers and other religious ceremonies, including wedding vows for some faiths.

o Kneeling while proposing, then, has the same solemn and spiritual connotation.

* Knights kneeling while being awarded honors from kings and queens.

o Offering or accepting a marriage proposal is just as much an honor as any medal or award.

* Bowing in supplication before a victorious enemy, typically as a gesture of surrender.

o Committing to a relationship is surrendering oneself to being part of a couple.

* Kneeling to genuflect when entering a church or temple.

o Again, proposing on bended knee is a sign of respect and spiritualism.

Regardless of the origin, the idea of asking for a loved one’s hand in marriage while partially kneeling is a highly symbolic gesture embodying the very essence of committing one’s life to another: the ideas of goodwill, honor, and trust in that one person is opening themselves completely to another without shame or any physical defenses.

The practical reason behind a bent knee proposal is that it puts the engagement ring in an elevated position between the couple, letting the light hit it clearly without being blocked by both individuals. This highlights the glitter of the ring as well as emphasizing the strength of the commitment.

True, but just maybe we should go back to tried and true traditions and just maybe we wouldnt have all this divorce, gay and lesbian relationships and domestic violence. Seems to me that once we started away from most traditions and replaced them with new the world started to fall apart. A guy proposing on one knee is not such a bad thing when you realize hes doing it out of true ultimate respect he has for his future bride, now is it? I vote lets bring back the old real traditions and get the family morals and values back into our families once again and be a world that God is proud of and forget all the gender equality as we all know men and women are two different and unique animals under God. The real bullsheet lies with the modern new traditions and ideas fed by TV and our new "change" Government. Lets become a world under God again

Because that's how low he's going to be once the holes in his pocket enlarge.

cuz it won't be long until she has him on both knees, he is conceding that he is willing to obey

Because that's how you beg...and it only goes downhill from there.