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History of Marriage
Wedding culture traditions essay
Wedding culture traditions essay
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Recommended: History of Marriage
Marriage is a ceremony or union recognized by law that is shared by many cultures. The first example of a marriage ceremony was between Adam and Eve, back in the biblical era. The proof of this union can be found in the first testament where it is stated "At last, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh."(Genesis Chapter 1) It paved the path for the idea of two becoming one. It also was the setting that gave birth to the importance of marriage before sexual intercourse. After that most believed it to be a sin to engage in intercourse if you weren’t married. In earlier traditions marriage was thought to be between a man and women, or some even recognize it as being between multiple men and women. “Esau had three wives” – (Genesis 26:34 & 28:9). Nowadays marriage has evolved in many ways along with the perspective of who is allowed to marry. Some cultures accept gay marriages, or honor some form of a legal union. This allows diverse couples to benefit from filing a joint tax return.
Historically marriage was essential to society because it set grounds for ownership and rights to land in the time of death as well as for protecting blood lines. In the U.S. marriage has adapted to satisfy contemporary expectations. Cross cultural weddings are also accepted and incorporate different religious beliefs and tradition. Biracial weddings are also accepted by the majority of the U.S. cultures.
The wedding tradition is a globally known concept, where each culture has their unique customs and traditions. Much of our background originated from numerous cultures. We practice some combination of various different popular traditions and superstitions. For example, the phrase “something old, something new, something borrowed, and s...
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...g for as long as I can remember. It will truly be one of the biggest accomplishments and memorable days of my life, if I do in fact get to experience it for myself.
All in all I see a marriage ceremony as a celebration between two people who love each other. It’s something to take seriously. I do however realize there are instance beyond my tradition or views where it is acceptable or necessary. I am open and accept differences in other cultures’ beliefs. But I choose to cherish the idea of love, view the union as a choice and to feel like it is a privilege.
Works Cited
"Book of Genesis." First Testament. n.d.
Callaway, Nina. Planning Your Wedding Ceremony. 2003. .
Wedding Traditions in the United States. Copyright 2004-2011. January 2011 .
Some’s definition of Marriage is when two souls coming into one soul –still distinct but forming one entity. Being raised in the church, marriage is when two people come together, declaring their wedding vows to each other and to God. Marriage is
Engstrom (2008) argues in his paper that weddings are considered hegemonic practices due to the fact that getting married is considered “the life goal for women” (p. 61). He believes that the media and publications surrounding weddings and wedding materials (for example, dresses, veils, flowers, etc.) make weddings seem glamorous. Engstrom’s focus on hegemony and women is the media that surrounds weddings. Engstrom (2008) writes, “these bridal media serve as an example of hegemony…as the exercise of indirect power as exemplified by civil institutions, among which he includes the media industry” (p. 61). In that, weddings have become part of this category of dominant practices due to the media presenting ideas around weddings. The media portrays weddings as a goal that should be fulfilled by the entire population. Examples of media would be reality TV shows, magazines, advertisements, and even movies surrounding the idea of marriage. All of these examples help support the notion that marriage is considered a ‘hegemonic practice’
The culture that exists in America is one that is constantly changing to suit the times and the many different types of people that reside in the country. One aspect of American culture that has changed profoundly is the institution of marriage. Marriage began as the undisputed lifestyle for couples willing to make the ultimate commitment to one another. However in less than a century, pointless and destructive alternatives such as premarital cohabitation, have developed to replace marriage.
When couples decided to get married, something they need to consider is if they would like to follow the tradition of
Despite people celebrating marriage in different ways it all comes back to one thing; marriage is a social ritual that by which two people affirms one abiding contracts between. The ceremonies are composed of rituals which symbolize facets of married life and the obligations being undertaken. In Hinduism the marriage celebration can start weeks before the actual ceremony depending on the preferences of the family. Once the day of the ceremony comes around the day starts with the brides’ family welcoming the groom into their home and both families are formally introduced. Both the bride and groom sit at the Mandap- tent where the ceremony is held under,-and are offered a drink. Gifts between the two families are generally exchanged at this point. The groom's mother gives an auspicious necklace to the bride, which is essentially an emblem of the married status in the Hindu religion. Then scared fire is lit and a pundit recites t...
Love, the emotion expressed so widely from friends to romance, is the basis of marriage. The idea of matrimony revolves around the concept of one loving another so deeply that they want to join together and share a life together. The best description for marriage encompasses words like; commitment, unconditional love, and pure beauty from within one's heart. There is no possible way to measure the validity or trueness of these emotions. When a couple decides to wed, they are making the ultimate commitment to each other. Ultimately, the commitment should be a decision made by the couple and no one else. Many other countries practice arranged marriage, which couples are forced by their family to marry. In America, we are blessed with the freedom to choose who we marry. You may think that you have that right, but you actually do not!
Marriage is the beginning of family life, culmination of a period of seeking a mate, and realization of a major goal.
Spring and summertime come around, wedding invitations begin to weed their way through the mail, and dates are set aside for weddings to attend. Months are spent planning out a perfect day. Each person develops high hopes that the wedding and ceremony will be as close to perfect as it can possibly get; this is often not the case. A wedding is not a wedding without a last minute issue or family drama. But after the wedding, after the first dance, after the party, after the honeymoon, after everything marriage is made up to be, reality strikes.
Marriage in the Victorian time period was carefully contemplated, as Rosenberg addresses that “Wedding ceremonies were seen as an expression of Victorian social values that that the Queen wished to renounce, while on the other hand, such occasions were viewed as having national and collective significance” (Rosenberg 98). Love played a very tiny role in the Victorian Era marriages. An engagement was more approached as a business deal. Once married all possessions went to the husband as property. Anatolyevna emphasizes how “Victorian weddings should be transformed from a formalized procedure to a celebration, a holiday for a young couple in honor of their initiation” (Anatolyevna 1) The Marriage and Wedding Customs of the Victorian time period are interesting because they are religious, strict, unique, and elegant. First of all, the Victorian time period wedding mores were intriguing because of their strong connection to religion. Terpening explains that “in the sense that marriage is an act through hardship and trial, people who led Christian lives were rewarded by enjoying years with their spouse” (Terpening 22). Even though in the Victorian time period their marriages were arranged, if you and your spouse had the same religions beliefs your marriage will be strong and last longer than other couples. People during the Victorian time believed that if you didn’t practice the same beliefs of your partner your marriage would fall apart or be in great bitterness. Religion played a big role in the Victorian wedding ethnicities but the harsh laws of marriage were a huge part for weddings during this time period. Next, the Victorian time period Wedding traditions were remarkable because of the firm traditions. Author Kat Stromquist ment...
The legal relationship, which comes out from a contract by which, ‘one man and one woman’ who have the ability to enter into such a union, promised to live together, take care of each other in the relation of ‘husband and wife in law for life until the legal termination of that relationship’ is defined as marriage. Marriage also may be defined as a legal union between ‘one man and one woman’ as husband and wife entering into contract changes the status of both parties in giving new rights and obligation. Traditionally, marriage has been viewed as creation of a family and vital to protection of morals and civilization. That is, the traditional principle founded from the marriage is that, the husband has the obligation to support his wife, provide a safe house, pay the necessities such as food, clothing, and to live together with the wife. The wife’s obligation entailed maintaining a home, having sexual relations with her husband and rearing the couple’s children.
What is a marriage? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a marriage is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.” It can also be stated for those of the same sex, but for the purpose of this paper it will be examined from a heterosexual standpoint. In a heterosexual marriage, you will find conflict between the husband and the wife and this is where religion is supposed to help out.
Although what we were told by God, in many primitive civilizations marriage was primarily industrial. During early times husband and wife were not much together; they did not even eat together very often.(The Marriage Institution 1). Their marriages were always planned by their parents and in some cases brides were bought. Polygamy was also frequent in the early history of marriage. Although, as civilization progressed monogamy became the idealistic goal of human sex evolution.(The Marriage Institution 6). In addition, as civilization advanced, marriage became more seriously regarded and the wedding ceremony became recurrent. The marriage ceremony grew out of the fact that marriage was originally a community affair and also primitive man had no records, so the marriage had to be witnessed by many people.
Marriage is a “socially recognized and approved union between individuals, who commit to one another with the expectations of a stable and lasting intimate relationship. It begins with a ceremony known as a wedding which formally unites marriage partners. A marital relationship usually involves some kind of contract, either written or specified by tradition, which defines the partners’ rights and obligations to each other, to any children they may have, and to their relatives. In most contemporary industrialized societies, marriage is certified by the government,” (Skolnick, 2005). Marriage is also an important institution because of the impact it has on society. Marriage is the main way that reproduction of human life occurs. In some societies it is tradition for family heirlooms or things of value be passed on through marriage. Marriage also serves as a healthy way to have intimate relationships with an individual. In most places a marriage exists between two people of the opposite sex. However, the legal definition of marriage is currently being challenged by many. According to Skolnick’s article a marriage can be defined by responsibilities that a couple would share, some examples are: living together, having sexual relations, sharing money and financial responsibilities, and having a child together. The issue is that homosexual couples can do these things like heterosexual couples.
What is Marriage? Marriage is when people are being united together as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by the law. Marriage hasn’t always been how it is now, where women have a say in family problems, and where woman have the right to choose whom they want to marry. Before during the ancient times, women had to marry those in their families, and could not marry those that were Marriage use to be all about doing what you needed to support your family, which meant you married someone who was able to give you what you needed. Marriage wasn’t because you loved someone, but it was always because people wanted to preserve power. Now in the marriage, people marry, because they love each other, and because they want to make an effort to spend the rest of their lives together.
Almost every culture around the world have the idea of bringing together households in marriage. In the United States, this a coupling of two people who will start a life on their own. In India, a marriage is more than two people falling and love and getting married. Family, religion and casts play a role for the future bride and groom. The Indian culture’s weddings have different traditions when it comes to proposals, ring traditions and ceremonies not only for the couple but for the families as well.