Cultural Practices In Arab Marriage

By Debra Gibson


The marriage institution is a very vital aspect of community life in the world every day. A good marriage guarantees a healthy society. This makes unions be treated with very high dignity by many communities in the world including the Arab community. In this society special events unfold in ensuring that Arab marriage is successful.

As a usual practice, all marriages start with the selection of these couples . Most Arabs practice arranged marriages where the father will choose for their son the perfect woman to marry. This son will, however, give suggestions on the choice. On the women part, her parents have the mandate of accepting any approach from any man they feel right for their daughter.

Marriage is viewed as an agreement of union between two families. It is for this reason that a marriage contract is established between them. Of the many items that may be found in a marriage contract is the pride price. It is usually a gift from the grooms family to the bride as an appreciation sign for giving them their daughter, and its value depends on the two families understanding.

In this contract also, the roles of the groom are well stipulated. He is always to be the family head and ensure that he provides the needs of his family just like how it has been ever since. On the other hand, the wife is viewed as the caretaker of the house whereby she ensures everything in the house is in order. She has the task of making the husband comfortable at home.

The ceremony then follows after the marriage contract has been drafted. The ceremony is marked by many cultural dances, eating and drinking. The most vital part is where the couples are allowed in a private place with the two mothers of this couple as witnesses, and the groom breaks the hymen. The blood stains are displayed to the public as a show of the brides purity. However, it is no longer a must for the public to see this these days.

In their matrimonial life, an Arab wife is expected to be very submissive. The husbands decision is always final. It is normal that the woman remains indoors at all times and has to ask for permission in case she wants to go somewhere or wants to invite any guests. It relies on the understanding of these couples for the wife to work or not.

The religion followed by the Arabs (Islam) favors polygamy in marriage. Several reasons may call for the husband to think of marrying another wife. It is always expected that the relationship between co-wives is that if love and understanding. This is rarely the case as they always dislike one another in most cases.

In the event of a divorce, the wife is supposed to go back to her parents house or any other male family member since the Arab culture does not allow any woman to live alone. The children are, however, left with the father. The husband is expected to provide maintenance fee still to the family, and a divorce fee is also paid with regards to the marriage contract.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment