Marriage in the Middle East
Marriage in the Middle East
There have been many types of marriage traditions in the Middle East and most of them are still around today. These are also all Islamic customs. Middle East traditions have some of the oldest marriage customs in the world. The two types of marriages are an arranged marriage and an open marriage. Most marriages in the Middle East are arranged marriages. The groom and the groom’s family pay for everything. The first thing one needs to do when planning an arranged marriage is to pick the bride or the groom. The next thing that has to happen is the marriage negotiations over the bride price and the dowry. Finally, for any type of marriage, the wedding celebrations have to be planned. There are five celebrations that take place.
The choosing of the groom is usually done by the bride’s father. Many times the father picks his brother’s son so that the bride price and the marriage negotiations would not be so costly. This would be the bride’s cousin or the bint’amm. Cousin marriages are quite common in the Middle East, but they are not very common anywhere else. However, these marriages are often not possible. Sometimes if the father does not do the choosing of the groom, there is a friend or relative that does it, and they are known as the go-between. The only thing that really matters for whoever is choosing the bride, is that they choose a person of equal status. After the bride or groom is chosen there are a few details that need to be determined before the official marriage negotiations begin. This is also done by the go-between (“Arab Marriage” 2). The bride also has to approve the chosen groom; if she does not like him she has the choice not to marry him. The groom can have more than one wife. The Koran states that a man is allowed up to four wives (“Religion & Ritual” 349). The official legal age for when you can be married varies for men and women. For women the age is twelve and for men the age is fourteen. Usually these laws
There have been many types of marriage traditions in the Middle East and most of them are still around today. These are also all Islamic customs. Middle East traditions have some of the oldest marriage customs in the world. The two types of marriages are an arranged marriage and an open marriage. Most marriages in the Middle East are arranged marriages. The groom and the groom’s family pay for everything. The first thing one needs to do when planning an arranged marriage is to pick the bride or the groom. The next thing that has to happen is the marriage negotiations over the bride price and the dowry. Finally, for any type of marriage, the wedding celebrations have to be planned. There are five celebrations that take place.
The choosing of the groom is usually done by the bride’s father. Many times the father picks his brother’s son so that the bride price and the marriage negotiations would not be so costly. This would be the bride’s cousin or the bint’amm. Cousin marriages are quite common in the Middle East, but they are not very common anywhere else. However, these marriages are often not possible. Sometimes if the father does not do the choosing of the groom, there is a friend or relative that does it, and they are known as the go-between. The only thing that really matters for whoever is choosing the bride, is that they choose a person of equal status. After the bride or groom is chosen there are a few details that need to be determined before the official marriage negotiations begin. This is also done by the go-between (“Arab Marriage” 2). The bride also has to approve the chosen groom; if she does not like him she has the choice not to marry him. The groom can have more than one wife. The Koran states that a man is allowed up to four wives (“Religion & Ritual” 349). The official legal age for when you can be married varies for men and women. For women the age is twelve and for men the age is fourteen. Usually these laws