Is Marriage an outdated Institution?
There is a common burning and tension erupting talk in the society-It is of Marriage Institution.
We come across both pros and cons effect of this institution. These days Live-in relation is mushrooming in most of the cities especially with people working in IT sectors and Call centres. Hey! What's wrong with it??? We want to know each other well and then decide of Marriage and Kids. Marriages in Indian tradition is very vibrant, colourful, with lots of customary things going on adding meaning to it, family, friends and relatives, music, band and children, eateries, fun-plays, arguments, quarrelsome and fights with few unexpected sudden arising customs from grooms side and of course huge expenses.
Marriages of celebrities is a huge part of discussion for commoners during tea time. Recent "SAIFEENA" wedding, Snageet, Nikah!!!
Most of the Indians now wish to have lavish wedding spending crores for food court, function halls, ACs, TVs, Blow up pictures of Bride and Groom, flashy and colourful series lights, Video recording, Music and DJs and with varieties of food -starting from desserts, Chat corners with hot ragadas, Samosas, Kachories, Italian, continental, South Indian, North Indian foods displayed, with one corner specially catering Vegetarians and typical Andhra meal with Tomota or Mango Pappu, Dondakai fry, Okra peanut fry, Avakai and Gongura Pachadis, Yendu mirapakai, rasam, sambhar, curd and white rice. Of course not to rule out Gulab Jamun and Ice-Cream!!!
Significance of Marriage in India
Marriage is an institution developed over substantial period of time. It has emerged as an institution and has been accepted as a tool to eliminate social stress due to sex. Marriage is one of the universal social institutions established to control and regulate the life of mankind. It is closely associated with the institution of family. In fact both the institutions are complementary to each other.
Malinowski defined marriage as a contract for the production and maintenance of children. According to Majumdar marriage is socially sanctioned union of male and female or as a secondary institution devised by society to sanction the union and mating of male and female for purposes of establishing a household ,entering into sex relations, procreating and providing care for the offspring. Sociologists Horton and Hunt defined marriage as the approved social pattern whereby two or more persons establish a family.
It is such an institution of society which can have very different implications in different societies and cultures. However marriage can be defined as a socially sanctioned sex relationship involving two or more people of the opposite sex whose relationship is expected to endure beyond the time required for gestation and the birth of children.
However, the purposes, functions and forms of marriage may differ from society to society but it is present everywhere as an institution.
Hindu wedding is considers bringing two people who are said to be companionable. Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted at least to some extent in Sanskrit. They have many rituals that have evolved since traditional times and differ in many ways from the modern western wedding ceremony and also among the different regions, families, and castes such as Rajput or Punjab weddings and Iyer or Iyengar weddings. The Hindus attach a lot of importance to marriages, and the ceremonies are very colourful and extend for several days. In India, where most Hindus live, the laws relating to marriage differ by religion. According to the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, passed by the Parliament of India, for all legal purposes, all Hindus of any caste, creed or sect, Sikh, Buddhists and Jains are deemed Hindus and can inter marry. Marriage rituals include both pre marital rituals and post marital rituals. The pre-wedding ceremonies include engagement that involves vagdana or oral agreement and lagna-patra written declaration taking the consignment of both the parties.
Saptapadti: one of the main rituals of Hindu marriage and also recognized by the Hindu Marriage Act. The Saptapadi in Sanskrit means seven steps, is perhaps the most important component of Vedic Hindu weddings. The couple conducts seven circuits of the Holy Fire (Agni), which is considered a witness to the vows they make each other. In some regions, sashes worn by the bride and groom are tied together for this ceremony. Elsewhere, the groom holds the bride's right hand in his own right hand. Each circuit of the consecrated fire is led by either the bride or the groom, varying by community and region. Usually, the bride leads the groom in the first circuit. In North India, the first six circuits are led by the bride, and the final one by the groom. In Central India, the bride leads the first three or four circuits. With each circuit, the couple makes a specific vow to establish some aspect of a happy relationship and household for each other.
The seven steps describe the following fro the couple:
"We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us"
The vow taken by the couple during saptapadti rituals is
"Now let us make a vow together. We shall share love, share the same food, share our strengths, and share the same tastes. We shall be of one mind; we shall observe the vows together. I shall be the Samaveda, you the Rigveda, I shall be the Upper World, you the Earth; I shall be the Sukhilam, you the Holder – together we shall live and beget children, and other riches; come thou, O beautiful girl!"
Unfortunately, Dowry has become part and parcel of Marriages over the period. Dowry is the price paid by bride's party to the groom's party. The amount varies from community to community. Dowry and dowry deaths is quite common, though not heard much in the news but still prevalent in practice. Voices raised against dowry and dowry related death by the feminist, group of activists and has also be gained political backing.
Recent study reveals that divorce rate in India is still low-around 1.1% when compared to West. In UK and Europe it is around 52% and in USA it is around 42% or so.
Marriage is India is a trusted Institution that takes risk between two unequal partners and carries forward with blessed children and grandchildren.
We come across both pros and cons effect of this institution. These days Live-in relation is mushrooming in most of the cities especially with people working in IT sectors and Call centres. Hey! What's wrong with it??? We want to know each other well and then decide of Marriage and Kids. Marriages in Indian tradition is very vibrant, colourful, with lots of customary things going on adding meaning to it, family, friends and relatives, music, band and children, eateries, fun-plays, arguments, quarrelsome and fights with few unexpected sudden arising customs from grooms side and of course huge expenses.
Marriages of celebrities is a huge part of discussion for commoners during tea time. Recent "SAIFEENA" wedding, Snageet, Nikah!!!
Most of the Indians now wish to have lavish wedding spending crores for food court, function halls, ACs, TVs, Blow up pictures of Bride and Groom, flashy and colourful series lights, Video recording, Music and DJs and with varieties of food -starting from desserts, Chat corners with hot ragadas, Samosas, Kachories, Italian, continental, South Indian, North Indian foods displayed, with one corner specially catering Vegetarians and typical Andhra meal with Tomota or Mango Pappu, Dondakai fry, Okra peanut fry, Avakai and Gongura Pachadis, Yendu mirapakai, rasam, sambhar, curd and white rice. Of course not to rule out Gulab Jamun and Ice-Cream!!!
Significance of Marriage in India
Marriage is an institution developed over substantial period of time. It has emerged as an institution and has been accepted as a tool to eliminate social stress due to sex. Marriage is one of the universal social institutions established to control and regulate the life of mankind. It is closely associated with the institution of family. In fact both the institutions are complementary to each other.
Malinowski defined marriage as a contract for the production and maintenance of children. According to Majumdar marriage is socially sanctioned union of male and female or as a secondary institution devised by society to sanction the union and mating of male and female for purposes of establishing a household ,entering into sex relations, procreating and providing care for the offspring. Sociologists Horton and Hunt defined marriage as the approved social pattern whereby two or more persons establish a family.
It is such an institution of society which can have very different implications in different societies and cultures. However marriage can be defined as a socially sanctioned sex relationship involving two or more people of the opposite sex whose relationship is expected to endure beyond the time required for gestation and the birth of children.
However, the purposes, functions and forms of marriage may differ from society to society but it is present everywhere as an institution.
Hindu wedding is considers bringing two people who are said to be companionable. Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted at least to some extent in Sanskrit. They have many rituals that have evolved since traditional times and differ in many ways from the modern western wedding ceremony and also among the different regions, families, and castes such as Rajput or Punjab weddings and Iyer or Iyengar weddings. The Hindus attach a lot of importance to marriages, and the ceremonies are very colourful and extend for several days. In India, where most Hindus live, the laws relating to marriage differ by religion. According to the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, passed by the Parliament of India, for all legal purposes, all Hindus of any caste, creed or sect, Sikh, Buddhists and Jains are deemed Hindus and can inter marry. Marriage rituals include both pre marital rituals and post marital rituals. The pre-wedding ceremonies include engagement that involves vagdana or oral agreement and lagna-patra written declaration taking the consignment of both the parties.
Saptapadti: one of the main rituals of Hindu marriage and also recognized by the Hindu Marriage Act. The Saptapadi in Sanskrit means seven steps, is perhaps the most important component of Vedic Hindu weddings. The couple conducts seven circuits of the Holy Fire (Agni), which is considered a witness to the vows they make each other. In some regions, sashes worn by the bride and groom are tied together for this ceremony. Elsewhere, the groom holds the bride's right hand in his own right hand. Each circuit of the consecrated fire is led by either the bride or the groom, varying by community and region. Usually, the bride leads the groom in the first circuit. In North India, the first six circuits are led by the bride, and the final one by the groom. In Central India, the bride leads the first three or four circuits. With each circuit, the couple makes a specific vow to establish some aspect of a happy relationship and household for each other.
The seven steps describe the following fro the couple:
"We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us"
The vow taken by the couple during saptapadti rituals is
"Now let us make a vow together. We shall share love, share the same food, share our strengths, and share the same tastes. We shall be of one mind; we shall observe the vows together. I shall be the Samaveda, you the Rigveda, I shall be the Upper World, you the Earth; I shall be the Sukhilam, you the Holder – together we shall live and beget children, and other riches; come thou, O beautiful girl!"
Unfortunately, Dowry has become part and parcel of Marriages over the period. Dowry is the price paid by bride's party to the groom's party. The amount varies from community to community. Dowry and dowry deaths is quite common, though not heard much in the news but still prevalent in practice. Voices raised against dowry and dowry related death by the feminist, group of activists and has also be gained political backing.
Recent study reveals that divorce rate in India is still low-around 1.1% when compared to West. In UK and Europe it is around 52% and in USA it is around 42% or so.
Marriage is India is a trusted Institution that takes risk between two unequal partners and carries forward with blessed children and grandchildren.
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Best Regards
Sphoorthi