| Sunday, February 19, 2006 Marriage is the union of two persons as husband and wife. They love each other and marriage will unite them. So marriage is usually based on true love. They have come of age and they are a couple of marriageable age. It means they are fit for marriage. A boy of marriageable age is at least twenty-one and a girl of marriageable age is eighteen. Their powers of body and mind are expected to be fully developed. The marriage is a civil and religions contract between the bride and groom. The religions ceremonies and celebrations vary with the customs of the country in which the marriage is held. People of wealth celebrate with festive, that begins two or three days before the wedding and continues four or three days after. The bride is elaborately dressed in bright colours and wears her finest jewelry. The wedding takes place at the home of the bride. The service (for Moslem) is performed by Muslim priest, before at least two male witnesses. Then they get marriage certificate. At the time of marriage, husband and wife have high expectations for happiness. In this stage the family consists of the husband and wife, without any children. They rent a flat, buy or build a home and learn how to manage their money and how to combine their jobs with managing a household. A husband earns his money to support his family and a wife does housework tasks. Perhaps a wife also shares in earning money. They sometimes quarrel but they try to become friendly again. A wife should have perfect trust in her husband and so should a husband. They devote themselves to each other. They should not be jealous. Then they have children. After two decades they have grandchildren. They continue to live happily. Their marriage has been a very happy one. Some couples have a chance to celebrate their silver or 25th wedding anniversary or their golden or 50th wedding anniversary. Only a few have a chance to celebrate their diamond or 60th or 75th wedding anniversary. Not all couples are very happy ones. Perhaps a jealous wife doesn't really care for her husband. If they often quarrel and are disappointed, they may decide to be divorced. The daughters are upset at the decision and weep. The children usually stay with the mother, and the father is usually able to visit his children or have them visit him. But some fathers are given the full care of their children. Teenage children may choose the parent they wish to live with, and some choose the father. In those cases the mother becomes the one who visits. After a divorce one or both parents often marry again. And often they benefit from the lessons of the first marriage and make a happy second marriage. This second marriage gives the children a new parent, who is called a stepparent. If their father remarries, the children have both mother and stepmother. If the' mother remarries and the children lives with her, they have an absent father and stepfather. Understanding and consideration by all members of newly formed family are needed to make the members comfortable. | |||
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