essay on traditional marriage in my hometown

Essay on My Hometown

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Hometown in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on My Hometown

Introduction.

My hometown is a special place filled with memories and joy. It’s a small, peaceful town with friendly people and beautiful landscapes.

Nature’s Beauty

The beauty of my hometown is breathtaking. It’s surrounded by lush green fields and a sparkling river flows through it, creating a serene atmosphere.

People and Culture

The people in my town are kind and welcoming. They celebrate various festivals with enthusiasm, showcasing our rich culture and traditions.

My hometown is my paradise. It’s a place where I feel at home, surrounded by nature’s beauty and warm-hearted people.

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Speech on My Hometown

250 Words Essay on My Hometown

Every individual carries a soft spot for their hometown, a place that holds an abundance of memories and experiences. My hometown, nestled in the heart of the countryside, is no exception. Its charm lies not in grandeur, but in its simplicity and tranquility.

The Landscape

The landscape of my hometown is a harmonious blend of rolling hills, lush green fields, and a serene river that meanders through the town, providing a lifeline to the local ecosystem. The view from the hilltop, especially during sunrise and sunset, is a spectacle that leaves one in awe of nature’s beauty.

The people of my hometown are its true wealth. They are warm, welcoming, and deeply rooted in their traditions. The local festivals, celebrated with much fervor, are a testament to the town’s rich cultural heritage. These celebrations are a spectacle of unity, with people from different backgrounds coming together to partake in the joyous occasions.

The economy of my hometown is primarily agrarian. The fertile lands yield bountiful crops, sustaining the local population and contributing to the nation’s food supply. The town is also known for its handicrafts, with skilled artisans creating exquisite pieces that reflect the town’s cultural ethos.

My hometown, in its quiet and unassuming manner, has shaped my perspective of the world. It has taught me the value of community, the beauty of nature, and the importance of cultural heritage. It remains a place of comfort and nostalgia, a refuge that I can always return to. It is more than just a geographical location; it is a part of my identity.

500 Words Essay on My Hometown

Every person’s heart holds a special place for their hometown. It is the place where we first opened our eyes to the world, learned our first lessons, and made our first friends. This essay provides a glimpse into the quaint town that I call home.

Geographical Setting

Nestled in the heart of the country, my hometown is an amalgamation of urban and rural landscapes. It is a place where the serenity of the countryside meets the hustle-bustle of city life. The town is surrounded by lush green fields, while the city center is adorned with historical monuments that stand as a testament to our rich cultural heritage.

Cultural Diversity

The cultural tapestry of my hometown is rich and diverse. The town is a melting pot of various cultures and traditions, which are reflected in the many festivals celebrated with great pomp and show. The harmonious coexistence of different communities is a hallmark of my hometown, making it a model of unity in diversity.

Education and Economy

My hometown is known for its robust education system, with numerous schools and colleges providing quality education. The town’s economy is primarily agrarian, with farming being the main occupation. However, in recent years, there has been a surge in small-scale industries, contributing to the town’s economic growth.

Local Cuisine

The local cuisine is a gastronomic delight, with dishes that are a perfect blend of flavors and spices. From hearty meals to delectable desserts, the town’s culinary offerings are a treat to the palate.

Challenges and Opportunities

While my hometown is a place of beauty and tranquility, it is not without its challenges. The lack of proper infrastructure and limited job opportunities are pressing issues. However, with the advent of digital technology and the government’s focus on rural development, there is a renewed sense of hope and optimism.

My hometown, with its unique blend of tradition and modernity, has shaped me into the person I am today. It has taught me the values of unity, respect for diversity, and the importance of hard work. Despite its challenges, it continues to inspire me with its resilience and spirit. My hometown is not just a place on the map; it is a feeling, a memory, a part of who I am.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Traditional Marriage

Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: conservatism

Question:”Traditional marriage is an outdated concept”To what extent is this true in your society. Marriage is defined as a man and woman being together by legal ties. Although the world are becoming modern nowadays. The concept of traditional marriage is still being practiced. The beauty of marrying opposite gender ,the construction of family tree and the responsibilities in a marriage world remains unchanged as the time passes. However, there is a side effect of the modernity that has defeat the purpose of marriage which is the marriage of same gender that are recently increasing. These factors do not affect the tradition of marriage wholly. Marriage has only occured between different genders. It has been that way since the olden days, occasionally it occurred to be the other way. Although there are the opposite of traditional marriage in this aspect, the number of traditional or normal marriage will forever overpower the non-tradition marriage that was actually brought up by the modern people. Singapore is a conservative country, therefore any act that is out of the country’s law is either known as crime or nuisance.

In this aspect, Singapore has not legalized any sorts of marriages except for normal marriage ,also known as traditional marriages. Therefore, the concept in this bearing is not considered as outdated as it is still used in many religion and country. In the scope of family structure, a marriage is performed to indicate the readiness of a couple to build a family. Marrying and building a family is part of the traditional way of a family strata. Nothing could change the society perspective towards a complete family. The society belief will always stick to having a child after marriage rather than before marriage. The child that is born out of wedlock will face social stigma if the society know that the child is born illegitimate. As the government encourages parenthood as a part of increasing the population scheme, it can happen legally after marriage. Therefore, the purpose of traditional marriage is not taken as outdated as the concept of building a family through marriage is still preserved and I believed that the society will also belief that way as not only it protects the family name and reputation but also keeps the modesty and purity of the family’s background.

The Essay on Marriage in Traditional African Society and It’s Televance

The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation. The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman. In African tradition, marriage was done after someone had gone through the adolescent stage where different ...

A traditional look in the responsibilities in a household is divided into the strength and gentleness of the role being played by each figure. Traditionally, the man as the head of the family will be in-charge of the income coming in and out from the family expenses. Thus, the man or husband will have to go out and work for the family while the woman will take care of the household chore and their children. As a woman, the gentleness and love being potrayed in a family resulting to the woman being the most suitable candidate as a mother and wife. Up till now that custom is not majorly changes. Based on Singapore’s statistic newsletter in 2011 the amount of married women who are caretakers including housewife is 68.8%.Hence,this shows that the divided responsibilities that are stated traditionally is still being practice in this 21st century.

Although, the tradition customs are not altered critically, the juices of the modernity affects the tradition as time passes by. The tradition of opposite gender marriage is already given a touch of rebel. The purpose of marriage is defied into same sex marriage whereas traditionally a marriage can only occur between a man and woman. As a record of 21,000 LGBT typed of people join 2013’s pink dot event held at Hong Ling Park which is the corner to express freedom of speech. Although there is an increase in LGBT as tears pass by, Singapore being a conservative country will never allow any such behaviours such as requesting same sex marriage under Section 377A of the Penal Code (Singapore) and section 354 of penal code(outrage of modesty) , to be approved in Singapore.

The Essay on The Filipino Family Confronts The Modern World

This article focuses on the changes that Filipino Family encounters because of the fast development of technology that affects our entire life. The Filipino Family has had to confront the pressures of modernization and constantly redefine its role in a rapidly changing society. Varied though the responses have been, they all reflect one theme – rising aspirations. For the masses this means an ...

Therefore, those who desire to get married to their ‘same-type’ partner will have to fly to United Kingdom to get married as UK is among the countries that legalized LGBT marriages. In conclusion, the traditional concept of marriage is still going on overpowering the modern concept of marriage in terms of opposite gender marriage, responsibilities in the household and structure of a family. Although, it cannot be denied in certain aspect modern influence have cause a whirlpool in the society such as LGBT as to having them being part of the society even if there are many negative responds towards them. Therefore, by continuing the legacy of practicing traditional marriage ,the modern insane concept can be abolished.

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essay on traditional marriage in my hometown

Traditional Marriage and Love Marriage Comparison Essay

Debates on marriage and its importance in society vary considerably. People want to know if it is necessary to approve gay marriages or promote traditional marriages only (Girgis, Anderson, and George 5). Some people cannot understand the ways marriage customs and forms of marriage should be accepted by society (Strong and Cohen 9). Anyway, marriage is a universal concept the meaning of which develops with time and cannot be accepted by all nations in the same way (Blankenhorn 11). Still, marriage is a union of two people who are obliged to connect their lives. Many types of marriages exist today, and each of them could be explained, supported, or refuted. In this paper, the pros and cons of love marriage and traditional marriage will be discussed to clarify which one is a better or just more appropriate option for modern people.

Nowadays, it is possible to find the suggestion that traditional marriage where a husband works and a wife takes care of children and home is dead indeed (Filipovic par.1).

The pros of traditional marriage include:

An amazing ceremony is required to celebrate a couple;
Marriage is introduced as an institution of society with a number of benefits to support each member;
Spouses have to exchange gifts and demonstrate their agreement to create a new family;
Respect for people is promoted.

The cons of traditional marriage are:

A number of obligations and rules have to be followed;
Classification of people such as single/marriage disappoints some people;
Mutual expenses and the necessity to divide money occur.

Love marriage is the one based on love as the main reason to create a new family (Stack par.18). It could be supported and refuted in many ways.

On the one hand, people, who are with love marriage, use such arguments as:

The feeling of being in love is amazing because people need love in every aspect (Mars 90);
Attention to human emotions makes people more humane;
Decisions to get married are mutual;
People learn how to develop relations in the best possible ways.

On the other hand, people, who disprove the idea of love marriage, conclude that:

Love could be a temporary emotion and end one day;
There is a threat of falling in love with another person;
Beloved spouses cannot identify their weak and strong qualities in time;
Financial aspects could become a challenge with time;
People could marry without the permission of adults just because they have this right.

In general, both types of marriages have enough grounds for existence. Besides, in different countries, there are supporters and opponents of both types. Still, there is one simple truth that many modern people do not want to be bound by certain norms and rules. Therefore, they try to play with definitions and use the terms that could meet their own needs and interests.

In my opinion, love marriage is weaker than traditional marriage because it is based on human emotions only. People should be ready to weight their personal pros and cons, understand their weak and strong aspects, and make the decisions that are based on past experiences in the present to improve their future. Therefore, a traditional marriage where a husband becomes physical and financial support for a charming and caring wife with or without a child or children seems to be a strong institution that cannot be broken with ages. Traditions are not always bad for people, and traditional marriage is the basis that cannot be neglected or misunderstood.

Works Cited

Blankenhorn, David. The Future of Marriage. Encounter Books, 2013.

Filipovic, Jill. “ Traditional Marriage Is Dead. Let’s Celebrate .” The Guardian . 2011. Web.

Girgis, Sherif, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George. What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense. Encounter Books, 2013.

Mars, Frantz. Seeking Love, Marriage and Family: How to Reach Happiness. Xlibris Corporation, 2013.

Stack, Peggy Fletcher. “ Love and Marriage: A History That Challenges the Notion of Traditional Marriage .” The Huffington Post . 2014. Web.

Strong, Bryan, and Theodore F. Cohen. The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Cengage Learning, 2013.

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11.4 Marriage and Families across Cultures

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

State the anthropological definition of marriage.
Provide examples of different forms of marriage across cultures.
Summarize economic and symbolic dimensions of marriage (marriage compensations).
Describe how marriage intersects with residence rules.
Explain the social importance of remarriage obligations.

Anthropological Definition of Marriage

Marriage is the formation of a socially recognized union. Depending on the society, it may be a union between a man and a woman, between any two adults (regardless of their gender), or between multiple spouses in polygamous societies. Marriages are most commonly established to provide a formal structure in which to raise and nurture offspring (whether biological or adopted/fostered), but not all marriages involve reproduction, and marriage can serve multiple functions. One function is to create alliances between individuals, families, and sometimes larger social networks. These alliances may provide political and economic advantages. While there are variations of marriage, the institution itself, with a few notable exceptions, is universal across cultures.

Marriage is an effective means of addressing several common challenges within families. It provides a structure in which to produce, raise, and nurture offspring. It reduces competition among and between males and females. And it creates a stable, long-term socioeconomic household in which the family unit can more adequately subsist with shared labor and resources. All societies practice rules of marriage that determine what groups an individual should marry into (called endogamy rules ) and which groups are considered off limits and not appropriate for marriage partners (called exogamy rules ). These rules are behavioral norms in a society. For example, in the United States, individuals tend to marry within the same generation (endogamy) and usually the same linguistic group, but they marry outside of very close kin (exogamy). Those considered to be too closely related to marry are prohibited by rules of incest , a relationship defined as too close for sexual relations.

Across all cultures, there is an incest taboo , a cultural norm that prohibits sexual relations between parents and their offspring. This taboo sometimes extends to other relations considered too close for sexual relationship. In some societies, this taboo may extend to first cousins. In the United States, first-cousin marriage laws vary across states (see “Cousin Marriage Law in the United States” for current state laws). French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss argued that incest is the original social structure because it naturally separates groups of people into two types—those with whom an individual has family ties (so-called biological ties ) and those with whom an individual can have sexual relations and establish ties.

Defining marriage can be complex. In the southern Andes of Peru and Bolivia, Indigenous people begin marriage with a practice known as servinakuy (with spelling variations). In servinakuy , a man and woman establish their own independent household with very little formal social acknowledgement and live together until the birth of their first child, after which they are formally considered to be a fully married couple. Not a trial marriage and not considered informal cohabitation, servinakuy is, instead, a prolonged marriage process during which family is created over time. Andean legal scholars argue that these unions should carry with them the legal rights and protections associated with a formal marriage from the time the couple begins living together (Ingar 2015).

Like all social institutions, ideas about marriage can adapt and change. Within urban Western societies, the concept of marriage is undergoing a great deal of change as socioeconomic opportunities shift and new opportunities open up for women. In Iceland, in 2016, almost 70 percent of children were born outside of a marriage, usually to committed unmarried couples (Peng 2018). This trend is supported by national social policies that provide generous parental leave for both married individuals and those within a consensual union, but the change is also due to the more fluid nature of family today. As norms change in Iceland across generations, it will be interesting to see if the practiced form of consensual union we see today eventually comes to be considered a sanctioned form of marriage.

Forms of Marriage

Anthropologists group marriage customs into two primary types: a union of two spouses only ( monogamy ) or a union involving more than two spouses ( polygamy ). Monogamy is the socially sanctioned union of two adults. In some societies this union is restricted to a man and a woman, and in other societies it can be two adults of any gender. Monogamy, because it produces an overall smaller family unit, is especially well adapted to postindustrial societies and cultures where family units are highly mobile (such as nomadic foragers). Monogamy also includes same-sex marriage. In June 2015, in Obergefell v. Hodges , the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the United States, following earlier legal recognitions in many other Western countries. Today, same-sex marriage is legal in 30 countries. While the movement to legalize same-sex marriage has been long and tumultuous in many of these countries, same-sex marriages and unions have historically played significant roles in both Indigenous and Western societies.

Serial monogamy: Serial monogamy is a form of monogamy in which adults have a series of two-person monogamous marriages over a lifetime. It is increasingly common in Western societies, but it is also practiced in some small-scale societies, such as bands. In serial monogamy, divorce and remarriage are common.

Polygamy : Polygamy is the socially sanctioned union of more than two adults at the same time. In polygamous societies, families usually begin with a two-person marriage between a man and a woman. In some cases, the marriage will remain as a single couple for a long period of time or for the duration of their lives because of lack of resources or availability of partners. Adding partners is frequently a sign of status and is considered an ideal for families in polygamous societies. In some cases, too, polygamy is practiced to address extreme social stress due to things such as warfare or skewed population distributions caused by famine and high mortality rates. In her cross-cultural study of polygamy, cultural anthropologist Miriam Zeitzen (2008) noted a great deal of diversity within polygamy, from de jure unions that are formal, legal contracts (such as is found in Gambia) to de facto polygamy, which may be just as enduring, stable, and acceptable within a society (such as is found in Ivory Coast).

There are two principle kinds of polygamy, depending on the partners involved, as multiple men and multiple women in a single marriage (called group marriage ) is not common. Polygyny , which is the more common form of polygamy, is the marriage of one man to more than one woman. There is often marked age asymmetry in these relationships, with husbands much older than their wives. In polygynous households, each wife commonly lives in her own house with her own biological children, but the family unit cooperates together to share resources and provide childcare. The husband usually “visits” his wives in succession and lives in each of their homes at various times (or lives apart in his own). It is common, also, for there to be a hierarchy of wives based on seniority. Polygyny is found worldwide and offers many benefits. It maximizes the family labor force and the shared resources and opportunities available for family members and creates wide kinship connections within society. Commonly in polygynous societies, larger families are afforded higher social status and they have stronger political and economic alliances.

Polygyny is prevalent in Thailand today, with as many as one in four Thai men between the ages of 30 and 50 having a second wife, called a mia noi (minor wife). In her research in Thailand, cultural anthropologist Jiemin Bao (2008) studied polygyny among a group of lukchin Thai (Thai of Chinese descent). She found that the lukchin practiced polygynous marriages as a joint husband-and-wives economic enterprise, many times sending remittances back to family members still living in China. Bao found that husbands frequently seek their wives’ consent before adding another wife and that the family overall considers polygyny to create greater economic opportunities for all family members because multiple wives create a pool of stable laborers with individual skill sets. Even so, Bao observed turmoil and conflict even within economically successful polygynous families and observed that many marriages were conducted as if they were “cutting a business deal” (151). Gender politics of polygynous marriage among the lukchin often left women with few choices except to work for her husband’s family. Economic success for the family was culturally attributed to the male head of household and not his wives.

A second form of polygamy is polyandry. In polyandry , which is comparatively rare, there is one wife and more than one husband. Polyandrous marriages minimize population growth and may occur in societies where there is a temporary surfeit of males and scarcity of females or scarcity of resources. In fraternal polyandry , brothers marry a single wife. This is the most common in Nepal, where it is practiced by a minority of mainly rural families. Fraternal polyandry offers several benefits for societies like Nepal with scarce resources and dense population. Where there is extreme scarcity of land acreage, it allows brothers to share an inheritance of land instead of dividing it up. It reduces inequality within the household, as the family can thus collectively subsist on the land as a family unit. Also, in areas where land is scattered over large distances, it allows brothers to take turns living away from home to tend herds of animals or fields and then spending time at home with their shared wife. It also minimizes reproduction and population growth in a society where there is a very dense population (Goldstein 1987), as the wife can carry only one pregnancy at a time.

Postmarital Residence Rules

Following marriage, a couple begins a new family and establishes a shared residence, whether as a separate family unit or as part of an already established family group. The social rules that determine where a newly married couple will reside are called postmarital residence rules and are directly related to the descent rules that operate in the society. These rules may be adapted due to extenuating circumstances such as economic need or lack of housing. In the United States today, for example, it is increasingly common for newly married couples to postpone the establishment of a separate household when work, schooling, or children create a need for familial support.

There are five postmarital residence patterns:

Under neolocal residence , a newly married couple establishes an independent household not connected to either spouse’s family. This pattern of residence is mostly associated with bilateral descent. While this is a norm in our own society, during times of economic stress or familial need, couples in the United States do occasionally live in the household of one spouse’s parents.
More common worldwide is patrilocal residence , associated with societies practicing patrilineal descent. In patrilocal residence, the newly married couple establishes their new household with or near the groom’s father or the groom’s father’s relatives. What this means is that at marriage the groom remains within his household and/or family group, while the bride leaves her parents. Their future children will belong to the groom’s lineage.
Matrilocal residence is associated with societies practicing matrilineal descent. In matrilocal residence, the newly married couple establishes their new household with or near the bride’s mother or the bride’s mother’s relatives. At marriage the bride remains within her household and/or family group, while the groom leaves his parents. Their future children will belong to the bride’s lineage.
Less frequent but also associated with matrilineal descent is avunculocal residence , in which the newly married couple resides with or near the groom’s mother’s brother. In societies that practice avunculocal residence, the groom has commonly had a long-term relationship with his maternal uncle, who is part of his own mother’s matriline. By joining with household of the groom’s maternal uncle, the couple is able to benefit from both the husband’s and the wife’s matrilines.
Under ambilocal residence , the couple decides which spouse’s family to live with or near. Ambilocal residence is associated with ambilineal descent. In ambilocal residence, the newly married couple will usually have made their decision about which spouse’s family to join with prior to their marriage. Their future children will then trace descent through that particular line.

Marriage Compensation

In all cultures, marriage is a consequential matter not only to the adults immediately involved, but also to their families and to the broader community. In societies that practice unilineal descent, the newly married couple moves away from one family and toward another. This creates a disadvantage for the family that has “lost” a son or daughter. For example, in a patrilineal society, while the wife will remain a member of her birth lineage (that of her father), her children and her labor will now be invested mostly in her husband’s lineage. As a result, in societies practicing unilineal descent, there is a marriage compensation from one family to the other for this perceived loss. Marriage compensation is the transfer of some form of wealth (in money, material goods, or labor) from one family to another to legitimize the marriage as a creation of a new social and economic household. It is not seen as payment for a spouse, but as recognition that the marriage and future children are part of one lineage rather than another (Stone 1998, 77). There are several forms of marriage compensation, each symbolically marked by specific cultural practices.

Bride wealth: Bride wealth (also called bride price ) is the transfer of material and symbolic value from the groom’s to the bride’s family. Depending on the cultural group, this may involve transfer of money, cattle, house goods, jewelry, or even symbolic ritual artifacts. Bride wealth is the most common form of marriage compensation across cultures. In her study of the Thadou Kukis of northeast India, Burma, and Bangladesh, Indian sociologist Hoineilhing Sitlhou (2018) explores how bride wealth has changed over time. Historically, the items exchanged included cows, copper gongs, silver earrings, and ceremonial clothing for the bride’s parents. Today, more contemporary items are offered, such as gold jewelry, cars, furniture, appliances, and land. One practice that has not changed is paying a portion of the bride wealth prior to the marriage ceremony and the remainder at some later point so that the groom remains in respectful debt to the bride’s family. In other societies, bride wealth must be paid in full before the marriage is considered legitimate. If marriages conducted using bride wealth end in divorce, normally the bride wealth (or equivalent value) is returned to the groom’s family to signify the dissolution of the contract.

Bride service : Similar to bride wealth, bride service involves a transfer of something of value from the groom’s to the bride’s family, but in this case the arrangement involves the contracted labor of the groom, whether before or after the marriage. Future grooms may work for months or years for the bride’s family (usually her father’s household) prior to the marriage, or husbands may work for months or years with the bride’s family after the marriage. In the first case, the groom completes his service prior to the marriage and then moves with the bride back to his family after the marriage. In the second case, the newly married couple remains in residence with the bride’s family until the service is concluded. The advantage of the second type of service is that frequently the wife is living with her mother when her first child (or children) is born. While her children are aligned with her husband’s family as far as descent (and inheritance), her parents are able to support the couple and their first child or children for a period of time.

The contractual obligations of bride wealth and bride service are not without conflict. In many unilineal societies, these obligations create a great deal of strife and conflict that can go on for years. What if the marriage is temperamentally difficult? What if the wife is barren or a child dies? What if the husband’s family suffers economic challenges that create a disparity between what he can offer their family of procreation and what the wife’s lineage could offer the children? Each of these situations creates conflict. Sometimes these conflicts between lineages (because marriage is seen as a contract with the larger family) spill over into the larger society and create larger social divisions.

Dowry : Dowry , a third form of marriage compensation, functions differently than bride wealth and bride price. Dowry is a form of material value, such as money, jewelry, house goods, or family heirlooms, that the bride brings into her own marriage to provide her with wealth within her husband’s lineage. In some societies women turn their dowry over to their husbands, but in other societies they retain rights to this wealth as married women. Among Nepalese Brahmans , sons inherit land and property equally at the death of the father, while women receive a dowry of clothing, jewelry, and household utensils from their own patriline at marriage (Stone 1998). They will use this wealth for status within the marriage. In other societies, women create a dual inheritance for their own daughters from their dowry, passing their dowry down through their daughters. Regardless of how the wealth is used, a woman’s most stable route to higher status within a patrilineal society is through the birth of her sons. It is sons within the patriline who will bring wives into their father’s household and increase the size and prominence of the patriline through the birth of their children. In patrilineal societies, women with many sons typically carry a higher social status.

While marriage compensation is most commonly associated with patrilineal societies, it is important to note that almost all marriages represent shared investments of one kind or another. Since marriage is the creation of a new family, spouses most often bring with them into their marriage their skills, traditions, and social networks, all of which carry symbolic weight within societies.

Remarriage Obligations

The many rules and corresponding obligations specific to marriage in unilineal societies (such as residence rules and marriage compensation) are evidence that families and communities invest a great deal in marriages and the formation of new families. So what happens if a young and newly married spouse dies? What about the marriage compensation and the new household? In many unilineal societies (most especially in patrilineal societies), remarriage obligations ensure that in these cases the marriage contract endures. Remarriage obligations require the widowed spouse to remarry someone from the same lineage in order to maintain the stability of the family unit.

There are numerous issues that affect when and how remarriage obligations are enacted. The factors that most affect remarriage obligations are the ages of the spouses and amount of time that has passed since the marriage occurred, the ages of the offspring and whether there are young children within the family unit, and the particular marriage contract and value of the marriage compensation. Cultures (and families) determine how best to enact these rules within their own value systems and based on current need. But the primary underlying purpose of remarriage obligations is to maintain the alliance that was made between the two lineages at the time of the marriage. These are intended to be enduring ties that benefit all members of each lineage.

If the husband dies and there is a surviving wife (now widow), under the levirate remarriage rule she will marry one of her husband’s surviving brothers. While levirate will not be invoked in every case, it is quite common when there are young children remaining within the immediate family unit. Because levirate is usually practiced in societies with polygynous families, a married brother taking an additional wife will not disrupt his existing family, and the new wife and her children will remain within the lineage where the children were born.

The sororate applies to situations in which the wife dies and there is a surviving widower. Under this remarriage rule, the deceased wife’s lineage must provide a replacement female, preferably the former wife’s sister. If her sisters are already married or there are no sisters available, another female from the same lineage can be sent as a replacement. Sororate allows young children from the first marriage to remain with their father in his lineage and also maintain a symbolic and emotional bond with their biological mother’s kindred.

Finally, there is also the highly variable practice of ghost marriage , where a marriage is performed between one or two deceased individuals in order to create an alliance between lineages. Among the Dinka and Nuer of South Sudan, a ghost marriage is similar to the levirate, with the deceased husband’s brother standing in for him in a ghost marriage. Unlike the levirate itself, any children from this second (ghost) marriage will be attributed to the deceased husband and not to the brother or the wider lineage itself. Among Chinese immigrants to Singapore, there are ghost marriage claims in which both spouses may be deceased (Schwartze 2010), continuing a tradition that began generations earlier (Topley 1955).

Arranged Marriages

While all marriages are planned, some are arranged, whether between the spouses involved and/or their families or through a third party. Today, an interesting adaptation of arranged marriages has developed involving online websites and hired marriage brokers to help individuals living in different countries find a suitable spouse from their birth culture. As transnational corporations spread worldwide and individuals become more highly mobile (even nomadic) for work, finding a spouse who shares the same cultural values can be difficult. Although there are marriage brokers for many different cultural groups, there is a proliferation of matchmakers for individuals of Indian nationality or descent. While not all of these sites are reputable, the explosion of marriage brokering businesses reminds us that marriage is, first and foremost, a cultural institution.

Kinship is an adaptive mechanism across cultures. While kinship systems vary, they each address critical elements for a social group. Through families of orientation and procreation and within kinship networks, households are created, offspring are produced, and alliances are established.

Mini-Fieldwork Activity

Kinship interview.

Do a kinship interview with a friend or peer. Collect information about their immediate family and relatives, including information about marriage and descent, being sure to note deceased relatives and any prior marriages. Draw a kinship chart that graphically depicts the information that you collected through the interview. Ask your participant informer to critique your chart, and then make any needed adjustments. Present the results of your project along with a reflection on the highlights of this work. What most challenged you, and how did this work help you better understand your friend/peer? What interesting things did you learn about their life?

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Authors: Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, Marjorie M. Snipes
Publisher/website: OpenStax
Book title: Introduction to Anthropology
Publication date: Feb 23, 2022
Location: Houston, Texas
Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/introduction-anthropology/pages/1-introduction
Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/introduction-anthropology/pages/11-4-marriage-and-families-across-cultures

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What Is Unique About Your Hometown?

What is the place where you live known for? How is that celebrated? Should your hometown be celebrated for something else? If so, how?

By Shannon Doyne

Where do you live? What sets it apart from other places? Do you know your area’s history? What is especially interesting about your hometown?

If you were asked to speak to a room full of strangers for a few minutes about the place you are from, what things would you tell them?

In “ The Rose Queen of Texas ,” Alex Schechter writes about Tyler, Texas, and its longstanding tradition of celebrating the town’s history of producing roses for the floral industry. The article begins:

TYLER, Texas — Early on a recent Saturday, the townspeople of Tyler staked out spots along the Texas Rose Festival parade route. Marching bands boomed, convertibles honked, and T-shirt guns fired into the cheering crowd. Fourteen floats bore coteries of young women in whimsical, garden-themed gowns that wouldn’t have been out of place on the set of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The Apache Belles, a local dance troupe dating back to the 1940s, shouted, “Tyler, Tyler, we are the best!” But the best, in fact, was yet to come. As the penultimate float rounded the bend near the high school football stadium, there was a flurry of excited whispers. Spectators craned to see past the twirling batons and John Deere tractors. A little girl tugged on her mother’s sleeve and pointed to a pink blur in the distance. “Here she comes!” she said. “Look, it’s the queen!” Slender and fair skinned, the Texas rose queen glimmered in her pink layered organza and lamé gown. A silk-trimmed train bursting with giant ribbon roses, and weighing 42 pounds, unfurled behind her. Her head was dwarfed by a gold-plated crown studded with Swarovski crystals and enamel roses. Children gathered at the hem of her skirts, the girls in white lace gloves, the boys in gold vests and ruffled collars. The queen was Anna Grace Hallmark, a 20-year-old business major at the University of Mississippi and a Tyler native. She waved benevolently to her subjects, many of whom were seeing her for the first time. They had waited a long time. Ms. Hallmark had been scheduled for the 2020 parade, but when that was postponed because of the pandemic, her title was transferred to the following year, which makes her the longest-reigning queen in the festival’s 88-year history.

The article also explains the role that rose growing has played in Tyler’s past and its present:

After a heyday in the 1950s, rose production in Tyler has cooled. Chamblee’s Roses, a local nursery started in 1953, still plants over 200 varieties each year, though many are trucked in from states like California and Arizona. Still, roses remain a big business: 80 percent of the country’s roses are processed in Tyler. In nearly a century, the Texas Rose Festival has been canceled only once before the pandemic: during World War II. Tyler’s devotion to its showy, perfumed export, and the iconography that’s grown out of it, is a quirk in a state largely built on oil and cattle fortunes. The city crest is a rose, and it is stamped on everything from trash cans to trail markers to the local water tower. The two biggest events on the city’s social calendar involve flowers: the October rose festivities and an azalea trail that blooms in the spring. In downtown Tyler, you can order a matcha latte with rose syrup, snack on rose-flavored cinnamon rolls, buy rose beard oil or pick up a pack of seeds at Chamblee’s Rose Nursery. (On certain mornings, a white van parks outside the Smoothie King on Broadway, selling fresh cut roses for $3 per dozen.) Roses first came to Tyler in the 1920s, prompted by an agricultural disaster: A decade earlier, quadraspidiotus perniciosus — better known as the San Jose scale — decimated the city’s peach crop. Growers shifted their attention to roses, and the thorny things thrived, thanks to Tyler’s sandy soil and typically mild winters.

Students, read the entire article , then tell us:

Does the Texas Rose Festival sound like fun to you? Is there anything like it where you live?

How proud are you of where you’re from? What are you especially proud of? Feel free to define “where I’m from” in whatever terms make sense to you. For instance, if you are from a place as big as New York City, you might choose just your neighborhood. If you are from a rural area, you might choose the whole county.

What is your area known for? If it is famous for something the way Tyler is famous for roses, does it celebrate that thing everywhere? (“In downtown Tyler, you can order a matcha latte with rose syrup, snack on rose-flavored cinnamon rolls, buy rose beard oil or pick up a pack of seeds at Chamblee’s Rose Nursery.”)

If your hometown is not famous for anything, what do you think it should be known for? Why? How should that be celebrated?

If your hometown doesn’t have an annual festival that inspires local pride, and you were asked to design one, what would you include? Why? How would you want people to feel? What would you want them to learn?

What more would you like to learn about your hometown? Perhaps something about its history, its architecture, the people who live there or what it produces? Why?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column . Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Thornton Wilder

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

The town of Grover’s Corners is built on the smaller community of the family. The family unit is the building block of the town, where the same family names can be found on tombstones in the town cemetery going back many years. The first act of Our Town focuses mostly on two homes, those of the Gibbs and the Webbs, where the central family structure can be seen, with husband, wife, and children. Marriage is the essential union of two people that creates this family unit.

The second act of the play is centered around the creation of a new family through the marriage of George and Emily . Mr. Webb stresses to George that he is a firm believer in the importance of marriage, and Mrs. Gibbs insists that “people are meant to go through life two by two.” However, characters in the play also regard the institution of marriage more negatively at times. Both Emily and George panic as their wedding draws near, and Emily tells her father that she does not want to get married. This is partly because marriage means growing up and leaving the comfortable family structure she is used to. While George and Emily come around to marrying each other, some doubts about marriage linger in the play. Mrs. Webb says at one point that “there’s something downright cruel about sending our girls into marriage this way,” and Mrs. Gibbs calls wedding ceremonies “perfectly awful things,” and “farces.”

Moreover, marriages in Our Town tend to place wives in somewhat submissive roles. While Dr. Gibbs and Mr. Webb are loving husbands, they tend to exert some kind of control over their wives or at least have the final word in their marriages. We see this especially when Dr. Gibbs continually squashes any discussion his wife wants to have about traveling outside of Grover’s Corners or his taking a vacation from work. Nonetheless, as the ultimately happy union between George and Emily suggests, Wilder presents marriage as a beneficial institution, the fundamental building block of both the family and the town community, even if there are tragic or imperfect undertones in the play’s marriages.

Marriage and the Family ThemeTracker

Marriage and the Family Quotes in Our Town

Almost everybody in the world gets married,—you know what I mean? In our town there aren’t hardly any exceptions. Most everybody in the world climbs into their graves married.

The First Act was called the Daily Life. This act is called Love and Marriage. There’s another act coming after this: I reckon you can guess what that’s about.

And how do you think I felt!—Frank, weddings are perfectly awful things. Farces,—that’s what they are!

Yes... people are meant to go through life two by two. ’Tain’t natural to be lonesome.

Don’t you misunderstand me, my boy. Marriage is a wonderful thing,—wonderful thing. And don’t you forget that, George.

George, I was thinking the other night of some advice my father gave me when I got married. Charles, he said, Charles, start out early showing who’s boss, he said. Best thing to do is give an order, even if it don’t make sense; just so she’ll learn to obey. [...] Well, Mr. Webb... I don’t think I could... So I took the opposite of my father’s advice and I’ve been happy ever since.

Oh, I’ve got to say it: you know, there’s something downright cruel about sending our girls out into marriage this way.

And George over there, looking so ...! I hate him. I wish I were dead. Papa! Papa! Emily! Emily! Now don’t get upset... But, Papa,—I don’t want to get married.... Sh—sh—Emily. Everything’s all right. Why can’t I stay for a while just as I am?

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Memoir coach and author Marion Roach

Welcome to The Memoir Project, the portal to your writing life.

How to Write About Marriage? Learn How to Write the Personal Essay

I TEACH ONLINE MEMOIR CLASSES and work as a memoir coach and memoir editor, and in those roles I get a lot of requests for teaching how to write the personal essay. The essay is my favorite medium and most of the essays I have written and published take on simple, domestic issues stemming from marriage and family. The key to writing from home is to stay small. You are most likely to succeed in delivering a feeling to the reader if you attempt to do so without telling us what that feeling is. Navigating this space of showing, not telling, is critical to the success of a good, domestic essay.

What do I mean by that? Just this: Let the reader do some of the work. Let them do the math. Let them read it and gather together the details without you having to say something like: Hey, look at how someone loves me . Just show us. How? Here’s an example.

Read this essay and leave in the comments what you notice about what does and does not get said, and what you feel at the end.

I HAVE THREE FREEZERS. There, I admit it. I do. A born and raised New Yorker, maybe I have nothing more or less than a shtetl mentality, some genetic holdover from a time when there was never plenty. But probably not, since the closest I’ve come to Anatevka was fourth row center seats for “Fiddler on the Roof” when I was twelve.

And so it remains one of the greater mysteries of my marriage – to my husband, that is – that I buy chickens and freeze them, make stock and freeze it, make pesto and freeze it, and that every once in a while in the blur that I am as I whirl between the three freezers, I put something into one of them that, well, simply doesn’t belong.

It’s good he doesn’t take it personally, though that is probably because I have assured him that this started long before our marriage, and that I once located a sumptuous pair of alligator loafers in the fridge after thinking for months that I had lost them. They were in a brown paper bag, exactly the size of a pizza slice, so it seems obvious to me what my mind did when I got home from the shoe repair. Into the fridge, I thought, and that, as they say, was that. So glad was I when I found them that there were no recriminations. Plus, at the time I lived alone, so I had no one with whom the share the joy of finding them. Cold, though they were, I merely slipped them on and instantly regained my sense of balance.

These days, I have an audience, as well as several mouths to feed. Along with providing food for the adults in my home, I also cook for our dog. He has allergies. Seven years we’ve been at it. The cost of this is 14 sweet potatoes and 14 chicken thighs each week, and so an enormous canvas bag of sweet potatoes sits on top of the chest freezer in the garage (did I forget to mention that of the three freezers, one is the chest variety?) It’s the kind of bag that ship riggers use. Strong handled and sturdy, we need it for when the price is low – a recent 99 cents/pound, for instance – and we buy in bulk. It’s hard to lose.

Or so you might think.

Saturday was a cooking day for me, and so I am writing in real time here, reporting from the front. The last of the parsnips, all of the frozen vegetable scrapings, cilantro stems and other tidbits from the freezer went into the cauldron-sized stock pot. Back and forth from the freezers I went, finding tempting stashes of things to add.

“Oh look,” I said to the dog, “Chives!” The dog gave me the look he always gives me. It’s lovely to be adored no matter what you do.

My chives are now up in my kitchen garden, so clearly the frozen ones had to go into the soup. And in they went. And more things came to mind, and apparently I was wearing one of my many pair of glasses and carrying a mug of tea while I triangulated my way between my freezers. And then the washing machine sang its little song it sings when the load is done and the triangulation became a parallelogram and I added an upstairs trip.

The soup was creating that kind of happy haze it does when the aroma has taken over the house, and everything seemed right with the world. Out to the freezer I went again when I noticed the mega bag of potatoes was gone. Missing. Thinking it might help if I could see better, I patted myself down for my eyeglasses. Gone too. And what about that tea? Wasn’t I drinking something just moments ago?

Opening the stand freezer I was delighted to find the full bag of potatoes quietly cooling inside. Not that alarming, really. Many remarkable things have been unearthed there, including a portable phone and a book. It happens. And being a good wife, I called to my husband.

“Look, honey!” He came in from the kitchen, and that look on his face was the dividend check, the little extra I get from years of investing in this life.

The glasses? They were in the laundry hamper. Obviously. But it was my husband who found the tea mug, hours later, in that grand sweep I now realize he quietly does every day and last thing on most nights, simply putting everything back in its place so we can get on with our lives.

Tips for How to Write The Personal Essay:

Most of my essays come from domestic moments. Before I set out to write from my idea of home, I read extensively. Specifically, when learning how to write about marriage, domesticity or cooking, I can credit the great Laurie Colwin, Russell Baker and Nora Ephron for some great provocation. I read and I learned how to write the personal essay.

Have you seen my list of books to read to write memoir ? Have a look.

Want more? Join me in an upcoming online memoir class where tips like these are plentiful.

And if you have not done so already, listen in to QWERTY, my podcast by, for and about writers.

Photo by Paul Gilmore on Unsplash

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Reader interactions.

Betsy Marro says

April 20, 2015 at 2:27 pm

Marion – I laughed out loud as I read this. In our house, we take turns finding what the other has lost as we wander through our home and our lives. I still recall the day that my cell phone rang just as I pulled into work. It was my love, speaking in that confused, amazed, indignant, frustrated tone that signals the loss of something crucial. In this case it was his glasses, his last pair. He couldn’t drive without them. He was late for work. He could no longer think clearly about where to look. “Would you like me to come home?” I asked. “Would you?” he said. And twenty minutes later there we were, retracing his steps. “Did you check the laundry closet?” I asked. “I wouldn’t have put them there!” he said. Which of course spoke volumes. I went in, opened the washing machine and there they were at the bottom of the drum, the lenses staring up at me. I didn’t crow or chortle or get too mad. By then I’d learned what we both know all too well, that it is only a matter of time before I’ve lost my keys, again, in my purse.

marion says

April 21, 2015 at 6:22 pm

Oh, that’s lovely, Betsy. Thank you for being in the club, and willingly admitting to it. Please come back soon for more. I sometimes forget what rich fodder is there is marriage. The everyday is the best place to go for material, isn’t it?

diane Cameron says

April 20, 2015 at 5:53 pm

Now I was waiting to hear that at least one of those freezers had a stock of Creme de la Mer–just in case, or your favorite red lipstick–also just in case. That I would understand, or for storing cashmere crew necks, which I understand store best in freezing cold storage. Chickens? Chives? Lordy–the things I learn about you.

Not even a small freezer bag of lipsticks?

April 21, 2015 at 6:21 pm

Small bag. The good stuff. The stuff I did not buy at the drugstore. How did you know?

Julia Pomeroy says

April 21, 2015 at 10:56 am

So funny, Marion, and so true. I love your home, your husband, your dog. Thank you for inviting me in.

April 21, 2015 at 6:20 pm

Thank you, Julia. I am delighted by the affection and friendship.

Jan Hogle says

April 21, 2015 at 12:16 pm

Damn… I’ve lost my expensive prescription glasses with the detachable sunglasses. Can you help me find them??

Great post!

April 21, 2015 at 6:19 pm

Found ’em. In the freezer.

Robin Botie says

April 21, 2015 at 6:11 pm

Oh THAT’s what husbands are for. Been so many years I forgot how great they can be around the house. I’ve been losing things left and right all this time. Cheers!

Ha ha ha. Yes, they can be great around the house. Thanks for coming by for a laugh.

Melinda says

April 22, 2015 at 11:11 am

I have a clear childhood memory of my mother standing in front of the freezer, dumbstruck, as she pulled out her purse. When I laughed she said, “I’m not worried about the purse. Now I just need to find the damn ice cream.”

Now that I am of that certain age, I completely understand.

April 22, 2015 at 12:18 pm

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Laughing so damn hard right now. What a kind gift this is you offer. Thank you. And what a fabulous thing for you to write about. Go on.

Sherrey Meyer says

April 25, 2015 at 2:34 pm

Marion, I’m guessing you can hear my laughing all the way from Portland, OR to the east coast! Such a funny story you’ve shared, and one which many of us can relate to in one way or another. I don’t have a chest freezer, and I only have one freezer other than the one with the fridge. But I do manage to lose things in that tall freezer residing in a garage that is really my husband’s workshop and not a garage at all. I’m wondering now if that’s where he’s lost all those books of blank checks he was looking for and perhaps it’s where I might find the springtime blouse I can’t find now that it’s spring. I’ll go look!

Kathleen Pooler says

May 6, 2015 at 10:52 am

Oh my gosh, Marion, you had me laughing out loud as I recalled my own stories of “losing “my eyeglasses which were sitting on my head or finding the box of Triscuits in the refrigerator and wondering who could have possibly done that?? I’m so happy I’m not alone in this. Thank you for sharing!

Amanda says

April 5, 2020 at 9:57 am

The cilantro stem, the dividend check (just beautiful – a ROI), something about the sturdy bag reminded me of my grandmother’s cool damp cellar. I had to read the essay twice to know why the last sentence struck me – the grand sweep, but it was your words “that I now realize” he does…I do the grand sweep of our night stands every morning. It is part of my morning rhythm after he leaves for work. And moreso, I pick up clues – an empty ice cream bowl tells me he stayed up later than me and will have a story to tell about an episode or a news piece, business cards tell me he’s mowing today, the gold PO Box key – he’ll be calling for it any minute. As I do the sweep each morning, I think of him and wonder if he knows how it happens. I suppose I’m waiting for that ROI!

Julia Grant says

April 5, 2020 at 10:14 am

It is lovely how you provided a portrait of a loving marriage through your articulation of your meanderings in the kitchen, the items you lose, and those that are found by your husband. Thank you for the lesson!

Wendy Komancheck says

April 5, 2020 at 1:46 pm

Hiya Marion: I’m glad I’m not the only one leaving things in odd places. Your husband should start a support group for men whose wives are forgetful! :) It’s the artist/creative inside us! My older son also has had to suffer with my absent-mindedness–but he thinks I lost my mind. I always reply, “I wasn’t always like this. It wasn’t until I had kids.) Said in jest, of course.:) Thank you for sharing!

Colleen Golafshan says

April 9, 2020 at 1:57 am

Oh, I relate to misplacing items – sometimes not finding them for years. This morning I happily found, from a pile I’d pulled out behind my desk, a hard copy of your recommended memoir books, which I wanted as I research my first memoir essay (after working on book-length projects). It’s about my years as a homeschooling stay-at-home mum, my failings and asking forgiveness of my two beautiful children, now rewarded with their amazing love in hard times.

Here’s what I heard in your essay: You’re a born and raised New Yorker, genetically but distantly Jewish. You love to keep food frozen and at the ready in your three freezers, which include a chest freezer on which you keep a canvas bag of sweet potatoes for the dog.

On Saturday, while whirling around creating a cauldron-sized soup–with parsnips, vegetable scraps, cilantro stems, chives and other tidbits–and carrying a mug of tea, you had to attend to your clothes washing.

Once the soup was on, creating a happy haze of aroma through the house, you noticed the sweet potatoes were missing, as well as the glasses you’d been wearing and your tea. You found the sweet potatoes in a standing freezer. Showing this to your husband, he rewarded you with a look, a paycheck for all the years you’ve invested in his life. The glasses turned up in the laundry hamper but your tea mug wasn’t found for hours, and then by your husband.

What you did not say in the essay: Apart from your preamble about the art of memoir which should show rather than say, Hey Look at how someone loves me, you don’t actually say your husband loves you or that you love him and the home you’ve created. But these facts well up through the peace you describe at home, despite the chaos sometimes caused by misplacing items. There you have an audience of an adoring dog and a husband who not only shares your joy of finding things in unusual places but who balances your tendency to leave such things out of place with his quiet nightly routine.

When you lived alone, it took longer to regain your sense of balance after misplacing your loafers than these days when your husband quietly ‘sweeps’ through the house at night to find misplaced items.

How I feel after this review is grateful for the peace you feel and share when New York is in chaos with so many affected by coronavirus. However, this was not a clear feeling on my first read.

As an Australian, I often feel at a loss to fully translate others’ communicated lifestyles into exactly what is meant, as I did when I first read this essay. Using maps and looking up word definitions helps (eg. shtelt). For example, I love listening to your inspiring podcasts, yet I often feel I lose a lot of rich context, especially when interviewed authors are from your area and you have shared history, far from my western Sydney townhouse. I’ve not been to New York, though I’ve stayed with friends and family living in Minnesota and California. These days I travel in books and online as I learn to live with low-grade lymphoma that limits even local travel.

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Home / Essay Samples / World / Nigeria / Overview Of Traditional Weddings In Nigeria

Overview Of Traditional Weddings In Nigeria

Category: Life , World , Culture
Topic: Marriage , Nigeria , Tradition

Pages: 3 (1470 words)

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Box of sugar
Sack of rice
Alligator pepper
Bitter kola
Sack of salt
Bible or Koran depending on the religion
Honey large tubers of yam
Big suitcase filled with lace material, shoes, wristwatch, a gold ring, a head tie and other items.

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