WEDDING PRACTICES AROUND THE WORLD … strange and varied.
Religion or their association with religion always came as a second thought to these customs, NEVER did religion initiate the customs … Prevalent in small nomadic tribes as the practice of group marriage … the men of the tribe married the women of the tribe … this is still practiced today … even in civilized and educated countries (remember Charles Manson …)
TREE MARRIAGE … customs indicate the younger son could not marry until the older brother had taken a wife … The older would therefore marry a tree, a bush or even animal … legally. In India a third marriage was considered bad luck … so to avoid this they would marry a tree, a bush or even animal and then proceed on to the fourth marriage.
INFANT BETROTHAL … still practiced in parts of the world today.
Children being entered into marriage contracts by their parents … sometimes even before birth.
In Australian tribes, girls are promised to someone in the tribe without regards to the age of the man … She might be promised to someone as old as her father or even her grandfather. She may even be betrothed to several men, in case one of them were to die. A man might have several girls betrothed to him for the same reason.
In parts of India a girl 15 years old and not married is considered an old maid and will often be despised by others. Some girls are married by the time they are 8, although the normal age is 12.
Religion has stated they should be married by the time puberty set in.
Early marriages resolve many religious problems:
- Girls are to be married before they mature.
- Men must have a son to fulfill his ordained mission of continuing the lie of unbroken descendants.
The souls of his ancestors cannot remain in heaven unless there is a male descendant to continue sacrifices.
There are many marriages customs around the world and these a just a few of them. The Bible tells of weddings at the time of Christ. Christ in his parables relate weddings in His time on Earth. However, it is difficult to state:
THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS! But a few facts are revealed.
FORMAL BETHROAL – The engagement.
Usually took place several years before the actual wedding. Usually arranged by parents. This betrothal had to be broken by a paper of divorce from a Rabbi.
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
The Wedding …
After a time of festivity and customary rites, which lasted several days (or longer), the Bride began a procession which took her from her home to the house of the Groom. Her trousseau, bridal gifts, as well as musicians and dancers (and sometimes horsemen preforming wild feats) preceded her through the streets. Upon her arrival she was escorted into the best room in the house, which was beautifully decorated as the bridal chamber.
The groom was absent from the house, but late that same evening (!! Or12) the bridegroom procession began. From the house of a friend his procession came through the streets where women would squeal with delight, “HE IS COMING”. As he neared the house the maidens-in-waiting would go out to the porch and light his way with their lamps … Once the groom and his party were in the house the doors were shut and no-one else could enter. This event sometimes lasted up to 7 days. In most instances the groom provided wedding garments for all the guests and they were required to wear them. Read Matthew 22:1-14 and Matthew 25:1-13 And the marriage of the Lamb Revelation 19:7-9
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