What is the symbolism of dipping our fingers in holy water and making the sign of the cross?
It recalls our baptism into Christ, which makes us members of the Church, the Body of Christ.

Why is it that at a Catholic wedding the father of the bride is not asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
The parties in a marriage "give" themselves to each other, they are not given to someone else. The Catholic ritual has always reflected that reality. Even in the days of "arranged" marriages, the parties still had free consent, so they were not "given in marriage."

Why does the Priest purify the chalices on the Altar now?
The purification can be done at the Altar or at a side table, or it can be done after Mass. The Holy See issued a directive in 2007 that the ritual purification must be done by a priest, deacon or installed acolyte. Since we depend so heavily on Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist to assist our clergy at all Masses, we do the ritual purification at the Altar and one of the extraordinary Ministers completes it after Mass with a more thorough washing of all the chalices.

How should we hold our hands during the "Our Father"?
There is really no right way and no wrong way for anyone but the Celebrant. For him, the correct posture is the hands spread apart in prayer. The traditional posture for all others is the "Orans," that is, hands joined together in a prayer posture. You may notice that some people like to hold hands during the Our Father, and perhaps even when visiting other churches you might notice that the entire congregation does it. If members of an individual family, or close friends, want to do that, it’s fine. However, since hand-holding is not a liturgical action, if you are one of those who prefers to hold hands during the Our Father, please be sensitive to the fact that the people beside you may not wish to do so.

During the Profession of Faith, why do the clergy and some parishioners bow their head at “born of the Virgin Mary and became Man?”
The tradition of the Church over the centuries was to genuflect in reverence at that phrase because it refers to the mystery of the Incarnation, Jesus taking on a human nature in order to bring salvation to the world. The custom of the genuflection is preserved now only on the feast of Christmas and on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. The rest of the year, a bow takes the place of the genuflection.

Why Don't We Sing "Alleluia" During Lent?
The “Alleluia” and “Gloria” are joyful chants, with Alleluia being the primary chant of the Easter Season - He is risen, Alleluia. Lent is a penitential period when we express sorrow for the sin that put Jesus on the Cross. Instead of the joyful Alleluia, we sing an alternative hymn which still recognizes Jesus as Lord. During Lent we prepare our hearts for resuming the Alleluia on Easter Sunday. In both Advent and Lent, we also omit the “Gloria,” again because it is a joyful hymn.