Law-Marriage law
Marriage is the relationship between a man and a woman who have made a
legal agreement to live together. When a man and woman marry, they
become husband and wife. Marriage is also an important religious
ceremony in many of the world's religions.
Most couples decide to marry because they love each other and want to
spend the rest of their lives together. A man and woman who marry hope
to share a special sexual relationship and a permanent romantic
attraction. But each hopes the other will always be a close friend as
well. Each also expects the other to help with many problems and to
share certain responsibilities. These responsibilities include earning
a living, budgeting money, paying bills, preparing meals, and taking
care of a home.
Most couples who marry plan to have children and to raise them
together. A husband and wife are required by law to protect and care
for their children. Marriage thus serves as the basis of family life
Many married couples find they are not happy as husband and wife. Some
marriages fail because the man and woman married when they were young
and inexperienced in many ways. People who marry before they are 18
years old are much more likely to have unsuccessful marriages than if
they had waited until they were older. A man and woman also have less
of a chance of achieving a happy marriage if they marry primarily
because the woman is pregnant. And if a man and woman differ in age,
ethnic origin, religion, or background, their chances of a successful
marriage are reduced.
Preliminaries to marriage. In India and many other countries, most
marriages are arranged by parents' deciding whom their children will
marry. But in most parts of Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North
America, nearly everyone makes his or her own decision about whom and
when to marry.
Before people marry, they go out with members of the opposite sex. A
man and woman who go out with each other spend a lot of time together
learning to know the other person. After they have been together for
some time, they may find that they love each other and decide to
become engaged. In many cases, the man gives the woman an engagement
ring as a token of their agreement to marry. The use of a ring as an
engagement token comes from the ancient custom of using a ring to seal
an important agreement.
Most men and women marry people they live near, or with whom they work
or go to school. Most people tend to marry individuals who are like
themselves in certain ways. For example, people of the same
nationality, ethnic origin, and religion tend to marry each other. A
man and woman are more likely to marry if they have similar social and
educational backgrounds.
Laws concerning marriage. A man and woman must follow certain laws
when they marry. Each country has a minimum age for marriage. In many
countries it is 18, but sometimes younger with parental consent.
According to law, both the man and woman must freely consent to marry.
If a person is forced or tricked into marrying against his or her
will, it may be possible to have the marriage annulled (cancelled).
Close relatives are prohibited from marrying each other. In most
countries laws also forbid a person to marry if he or she is married
to someone else. A person who marries a second time while a first
marriage is still in effect commits the crime of bigamy.
Some legal systems permit a couple to marry even if the bride or groom
cannot be present at the wedding ceremony. However, someone must serve
as a proxy (substitute) for the absent person. This type of marriage
is called marriage by proxy.
In nearly all countries, a couple must have a marriage licence to
marry. A waiting period is usually required between the day a couple
apply for a licence and the day they marry. This period gives both
people time to make sure they want to marry. The waiting period
developed from a church custom that requires a couple to announce
their intention to marry publicly on each of the three Sundays before
the wedding day. During the time between the first announcement and
the wedding, anyone who believes the couple should not marry may say
so. The announcements are called banns.
If an unmarried couple live together as husband and wife, a court may
presume them married after a certain period of time if there is no
evidence to the contrary. This is sometimes known as a common law
marriage.
Most countries have laws forbidding people of the same sex from
marrying. However, many homosexual couples establish long-term
relationships that are similar to marriage and consider themselves
married.
Wedding ceremonies and customs. Most wedding ceremonies involve two
requirements. First, the man and woman must say that they want to
become husband and wife. Second, the ceremony must have witnesses,
including the official who marries the couple. If the couple have a
religious ceremony, it is conducted by a minister, priest, or rabbi.
If a couple are married in a civil (nonreligious) ceremony, an
authorized official performs it. During the days of long sea voyages,
the captain of a ship was authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony
while the ship was at sea.
Many couples prefer a traditional religious ceremony, though some
people depart from custom. A traditional Christian marriage ceremony
begins with the groom and a male companion, known as the best man,
entering and waiting for the bride at the altar. The bride then walks
down the aisle with her father, another male relative, or a family
friend, followed by her bridesmaids. She wears a white dress and veil
and carries a bouquet. At the altar, the bride and groom exchange
marriage vows and accept each other as husband and wife. The groom
puts a wedding ring on the ring finger of the bride's left hand, and
the bride may also give the groom a ring. After the ceremony, the
bride and groom leave down the main aisle followed by their
attendants.
People of many backgrounds follow the traditional wedding ceremony,
but certain religious groups add their own features to it. For
example, different Protestant groups have their own versions of the
ceremony. Many Roman Catholic weddings take place during a Mass, and
the bride and groom receive Holy Communion. Marriage is a sacrament
(important religious ceremony) in the Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox churches
Most Jewish weddings are held under a special canopy that represents
the couple's future home. At the end of the ceremony, an empty glass
or other breakable object is placed on the floor and the groom breaks
it with his foot. This act symbolizes the destruction of the ancient
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and reminds the couple that a marriage can
also break if it is not protected.
Mormon weddings are held privately in Mormon temples. Only church
members in good standing can attend these ceremonies. Mormons believe
that marriage and family life continue after death.
A Quaker man and woman marry at a public gathering where they declare
their commitment to each other. Quakers believe that God makes a
couple husband and wife, and so a minister or other official is not
required.
In a Hindu ceremony, the bride, groom, and guests assemble at the
bride's house. They dress in richly decorated clothes, and the bride's
sari (a traditional dress made from a long piece of cloth wrapped
around the body) is usually red. She may also wear much gold jewellery,
including heavy earrings and a nose ring. Astrologers choose a
favourable day for the wedding. The bridegroom makes offerings before
a sacred fire, and the sacramental part of the rites begin. Each item
of ritual is accompanied by hymns. The bridegroom takes the bride's
hands and asks her to be his wife. The bride offers a sacrifice of
fried grain. The priest ties their garments together, and the
bridegroom leads the bride around the sacred fire three times. The
bridegroom then leads her in the most important rite, the seven steps.
At each step the couple recite a prayer together. After the seventh
step, the marriage is complete. Afterward, the couple stand at night
to see certain stars and constellations. This ceremony impresses upon
them the pattern of the universe in which they are marrying.
Muslim weddings are not religious ceremonies, though religious rites
are sometimes included. Ceremonial preparations take place before the
wedding, often on the preceding day. Both bride and groom have a
ceremonial bath. The bride dresses her hair, stains the palms of her
hands and the soles of her feet with henna, and darkens her eyes. The
henna is usually painted on in an intricate lace-like pattern which
may take several hours to complete. The bride's guardian gives the
bride away to her husband. The marriage contract is signed before the
imam (leader of the prayers) or some other official. He recites a
prayer while holding together the hands of the bride and groom so that
their thumbs touch. The guests then recite aloud the opening chapter
of the Quran. After the marriage ceremony, the walima (wedding feast)
is held. When the feasting is over, the bride is conducted to her
husband's home.
Changing attitudes about marriage. Almost every society has certain
traditional ideas about marriage. Traditionally, the husband was
expected to earn a living and the wife was expected to do the
housework and look after the children. Many people now disregard
traditional marriage patterns. An increasing number of married women
have paying jobs and help support their families. More and more
husbands share responsibilities traditionally handled by women. Such
responsibilities include cooking, doing housework, and caring for the
children. For some couples the traditional roles are reversed: the
wife has a full-time well-paid job and the husband stays at home and
cares for the children.
Marriage in other cultures. In most countries, one man marries one
woman and they stay married unless one of them dies or they are
divorced. This system of marriage is called monogamy. Some societies
permit polygamy, in which a man has more than one wife, or a woman has
more than one husband. The marriage of a man to more than one woman is
called polygyny and is practised in some African and Middle Eastern
cultures. Islamic law permits a man to have as many as four wives if
he can afford to support them all adequately. Some societies practise
polyandry, the marriage of a woman to more than one man.
In certain cultures, marriage involves a gift from the family of the
bride or groom to the other's family. In many societies, for example,
the bride's family gives money or property to the groom or his family.
Such a gift is called a dowry. In some cases, the dowry is given to
the bride so that she and her husband may benefit from it. In other
cultures, the groom and his family present gifts to the family of the
bride. This offering is called a bride price.
Some societies require a person to marry someone who belongs to his or
her own tribe or group. This custom is called endogamy. In other
places, an individual must follow the rules of exogamy and marry a
person from another tribe or village. The most common rule of exogamy
requires a man or woman to marry someone outside his or her own
family.
Each culture has its own rules about which family members a person is
forbidden to marry. However, most societies forbid incest, which is
marriage or sexual relations between certain close relatives. In
nearly all cultures, such relatives include a parent and child or a
brother and sister.
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