Concept of Marriage

Marriage:

Marriage is the socially accepted pattern that two to three people establish a family. It encompasses the right of conceiving and rearing children. There are many other obligations and privileges that can be imposed on you.

The real meaning behind marriage is to accept a new status and have it recognized by others. Legal marriage establishes a social status, and gives rise to a number of legal rights and obligations.

Marriage is an institution that is socially acknowledged as the oldest. It is crucial for the procreation of children, and the satisfaction of our sexual desires. There are several ways to get married in different societies. Some societies only allow one male to marry a female, while others allow him to have more than one wife. Others will not allow a woman with more than one husband, but others will. In some cases, the parents organize the marriage; in others, the children and the sisters arrange the marriage.

Definitions: Marriage is an expression of the social relationship between husband/wife or multiple mates. Also used for the union ceremony of marital partners Matrimonial Sites.

Selecting a Mate:

It is the search for a spouse by a man or woman. Two methods can be used:

1. Exogamy When a person marries without being part of a particular group, caste or religion. It is known as exogamy. It is still practiced today.
2. Endogamy If a person marries within one’s group, caste or religion, class, and/or race. This is also known as endogamy. This type is mostly found in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Form Of Marriage

Different societies hold different opinions on social recognition and approval for marriage. It is because of this that we see many kinds of marriages. Here are the main types:

1. Monogamy One person may marry only once
2. Polygamy One person (man or women) is allowed to wed more than once.
3. Polygyny One husband may have more than 1 wife.
4. Polyandry A woman marries more than one man.
5. Fraternal monoandry: A man is considered and treated the same as his wife, and the offspring are considered to be his/her child.
6. Nonfraternal monoandry: Here, a woman is allowed to have more then one husband.
7. Group mariage: All brothers must marry with their sisters.
8. Experimental marriage: A couple should be able to mix freely and get to know each other before getting married.
9. Inter-caste marriage:A man marries his woman of the same caste. Similar to India.
10. Anuloma - When men from higher castes are allowed marry women from lower castes it is called anuloma.
11. Pratiloma Men of lower castes marry women from higher castes to get Pratiloma.
12. Hypergamy and hypo-gamyHyper-gamy is when a man of higher social status can marry a female of lower social standing. Hypo-gamy happens when a woman is married to a man who is lower in social status.
13. Sororate marriageIf the husband is deceased. After the death of the wife, the husband marries the sister.
14. Lenten marriage: If the husband is dead. The wife marries her husband's brother after the death.
15. Marriage through elopement: If two boys run away and decide to marry, they will be married against their parents' wishes. They can get married in court or some other location.
16. Compassionate Matrimony: When there are no children, the dissolution by mutual consents of a marriage.
17. Arranged Wedding: The arrangement of a marriage by consent from both parents.
18. Love Matrimony: The system by which young people select their life partners is called "love marriage".
19. Swara Wedding: It's common in Pukhtoon society.

 

Marriage Functions

 

1. Social recognition:Marriage recognizes all sexual relationships. The society can accept the marriage of a boy and a girl by accepting them as husband/wife.
2. Conception of Children: A second function of marriages is to have legally-adopted children. These children are legal heirs to any property or other assets that belong to the family and are recognized by society.
3. Feeling of Sympathy: When the couple has been married for a while, their children and the spouse develop a sense that they are in the same boat and start to share their sorrows and joys. They are willing to sacrifice for each other.
4. Basic Function of Family: Also, marriage is the foundation of family. We all know, after marriage, family is born and with it all the virtues in family life.
5. Stability In Relationship: When a couple marries, they are able to have a stable relationship. The relationship between husband, wife, and son or daughters, father in laws and mothers in law, or of grandfather and grandma, etc. These relationships become stable with the passage time but not before marriage.
6. Perpetuation od Lineage: Once a couple has been married, it is possible to continue the family's lineage. The children continue the parents' names and then they have grand children, great grandchildren, and so on. The desire to preserve the family lineage is felt after some time. If there is no offshoot, every effort is made so that the family name is preserved.