Marital+Rituals+And+Customs

Brian Chang

=**Marital Rituals & Customs**=

Just as the definition and practice of marriage differs from culture to culture, the marital rituals and customs that married couples practice are also diverse and eclectic. Many of the factors responsible for differences in marriage rituals and customs are differences in culture, tradition, religion, and many others. So what exactly is a marital ritual or a marital custom? Marital rituals and customs are basically unique practices or traditions that apply to specific marriages. They are often used to validate a marriage and generally revolve around the idea of fertility. Interestingly enough, marriage has been found to be one of the most common practices in the world. According to Britannica, "Some form of marriage has been found to exist in all human societies." (Britannica. 2011) Since marriage is such a common practice all over the world, studying the marital rituals and customs does reveal a lot of insight about the general cultural behaviors and attitudes of each respective culture. testament to the authenticity of the marriage. With each definition of marriage and its practices being different among different cultures, the rules and legality of each practice also differ from each other. Even with the differences in laws that exist for marriages in all kinds of different cultures, there are many rules that are what Britannica defines as "universal" In other words, there are rules and standards related to marriage, that are practiced by every culture in the world.



Since marriage is generally relevant to the practice of bearing and raising children, the legitimacy of the offspring of the child is often determined by the officiality and legitimacy of the marriage itself. The legitimacy of the offspring influences many different factors. How the offspring is perceived by society and the rights he or she is entitled too, and even the opportunity for one ot inherit a position or a sum of money, can be all determined by the legality of the marriage. This means that the selection of partners is important and the legal union between two people (and sometimes more, i.e polygamy), is carefully considered by the ones who agree to partake in the marriage. The practice of marriage rituals and customs is also contingent on the desirability and practicality for the marriage participants to initiate in the practice of those customs and rituals.

So one might ask what is the relation between marriage rituals and customs to the topic of Sexual Communication. The fact is, many aspects of marriage rituals and customs revolve around Sexual Communication. Marriage has not always been, and in many cultures is still not, about the union between people on the basis of love. As a matter of fact, it wasn't up until the 20th century that marriage became more revolved around love. Historically, marriage had been more of a financial institution and most people married on the basis of securing financial stability. Also, just as importantly, child-bearing came hand in hand with marriage. Children take a long time to mature and develop, so "marriage tradtionally has been seen as the institution best suited to fulfill these parental duties and responsibilities". (Britannica. 2011) Since child-bearing was seen as one of the quintessential elements of marriages, it should come as no surprise that fertility has always been an important aspect of marriages and newlyweds strive for good fertility. As stated by Shaaditimes, "Traditionally, marriage has always been a social ritual for procreation and progression of lineage necessitated by feudalism." (Shaaditimes. 2011). People would be more reluctant to marry each other if they didn't think their partner had the ability to bear healthy children. Many marital rites go hand in hand with fertility and thus, are related to sexuality. In other words, marital rites can be seen as as form of sexual communication. Marital and fertility rites are used to "ensure a fruitful marriage exists in some form in all ceremonies." (Britannica. 2011) According to Britannica, "Some of the oldest rituals still to be found in contemporary ceremonies include the prominent display of fruits or of cereal grains that may be sprinkled over the couple or on their nuptial bed, the accompaniment of a small child with the bride, and the breaking of an object or food to ensure a successful consummation of their marriage and an easy childbirth." (Britannica. 2011)

An example of a marital rite and custom that is still practiced today is giving out an abundance of flowers to a married couple. As stated in the article, Unique Marriage Customs, "In the Christian context, flowers also signify fertility and hence there is an abundance of it at the time of the ceremony." (Shaaditimes. 2011) Wedding cakes can also symbolize fertility in places like the UK or in China. (Shaaditimes. 2011). The Persian marital rites for fertility also addresses the importance of child-bearing. According to the article Unique Marriage Customs, "The Persian "Sofreh-ye Aghd" has a basket of decorated almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts in the shell to symbolise fertility." (Shaaditimes. 2011). In Germany, the guests at the couple's wedding, specifically the relatives and friends of the wedding couple, throw rice at the couple as a good luck charm for the couple's fertility. The belief of the tradition is that the number of rice that sticks on the female's hair, is the number of children the couple can have. (Shaaditimes. 2011) Some cultures believe that certain foods or items can bring good luck to the couple and enhance the fertility of the husband and wife. The Italians believe that almonds represent fertility and present almonds to the wedding couple. Likewise, Indians believe that coconut represents fertility. The Chinese also have their unique rituals to bless the couple with good fertility. "In China, tradition holds that after the installation of the bed ceremony at the groom's place, children are asked to climb onto it and seeds, dates, and nuts are sprinkled on the bed." (Shaaditimes. 2011) Also in Chinese culture, many of the wedding cakes that are presented to the couple during the wedding also show the emphasis the guests place on the importance of the couple having good fertility. Sometimes, these cakes are decorated with items that hint at female body parts. This is to suggest the importance of sexuality and fertility to the marriage. These are just some of the many diverse and interesting marital rituals that are practiced by various cultures worldwide. While these rituals and customs can differ in many different ways, generally speaking, the importance of fertility is not understated. Marital rituals are a form of sexual communication and they are definitely a testament to the importance of fertility to marriages.

References:
Wedding Rituals; A comprehensive Research. (2005). Lightning Strikes Everyday blog. Retrieved from []

Unique Marriage Customs. (2011). Shaaditimes. Retrieved from []

Marriage. (2011). Britannica. Retrieved from []

Wedding. (2011). Wikipedia. Retrieved from []

Marriage. (2011). Wikipedia. Retrieved from []