Arranged Marriages Vs. Traditional Marriages

Marriage is regarded not only as a union of two individuals, but also as the union of two families, making them almost blood relatives (Medora 879). Marriage is the strongest and most sacred bond between two people that has the power to bring two families together as one. There are many different types of cultures and religions that practice the ceremony of marriage in different ways. The main religion in India is Hinduism, where most of the countries population practices arranged marriages. In the United States, the most popular religion is some form of Christianity, and most of the population partakes in the practice of traditional marriages. The sacrament of marriage is the most import and sacred ceremony in most religions and cultures. The strength of marriage is an indestructible bond with many unique meanings, however traditional marriage is seen as a norm compared to arranged marriages. Traditional marriage is based on how the couple meshes together and they have the ultimate decision of they want to partake in the ceremony, and arranged marriage is based on a third party, the matchmaker, who decided who will marry who. Marriage, certainly, is one of the most important events in anyone's life (Gilbert 39-40). The sacrament of marriage is one of the most important decisions in a man or women's life that is going to have a huge impact on them forevermore. When the ceremony takes place, it creates a special bond between the two families that will unite them together. The man and women are about to take a huge, new step in their journey together and have new responsibilities and experiences that have never had before. The two, arranged marriages and traditional marriages, are both diverse in their own ways. Even though traditional marriages happen world wide, it is not uncommon for Hindus to still practice arranged marriages, sometimes they will travel back to their home countries just to get marries in their traditional way, arranged marriage. The support of the family will play a key role in marriages, and how it will turn out. There are times in traditional marriages where the relatives will not like the choice of their son or daughters spouse. Not having full support from their family is a weakness in traditional marriages. In arranged marriages, where the parent chose your spouse, there is a greater chance of having the family's full support. For example, most Indian youths do not believe that they have the experience, knowledge, or wisdom to select a prospective mate (Medora 879). Children growing up in India are more dependent on their parents and elders compares to the children in other countries that practice traditional marriages. With this being said, children growing up where arranged marriages are their norm, they are not as independent as the children who will partake in traditional marriages in their future. Children growing up in India or around this culture, will entrust or rely on their parents and their approval. With this being said, it is known that arranged marriages are more likely to have more family support than traditional marriages because the family gets to chose their spouse. Traditional marriages and arranged marriage have their differences, but there are customs that are similar between the two. In the Hinduism religion, before two get married, they are to have, A priest looks at the couples horoscope to make sure their personalities are well suited. Then a lucky day is chosen for the ceremony (Ganeri 6). If two were to be married in the Catholic Church, the two who will be getting married would meet with a priest and discuss their marriage, and the future. Not only will they discus that, they will also talk about a wide variety of things, and from that the priest will decide whether or not the bride and groom to be are suited for each other. This is a great discussion for the couple in both traditional and arranged marriages because this will assure the couple that they are similar in their beliefs and what they want in their life.

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