Marriage in the Victorian time period was carefully contemplated, as Rosenberg addresses that “Wedding ceremonies were seen as an expression of Victorian social values that that the Queen wished to renounce, while on the other hand, such occasions were viewed as having national and collective significance” (Rosenberg 98). Love played a very tiny role in the Victorian Era marriages. An engagement was more approached as a business deal. Once married all possessions went to the husband as property. Anatolyevna emphasizes how “Victorian weddings should be transformed from a formalized procedure to a celebration, a holiday for a young couple in honor of their initiation” (Anatolyevna 1) The Marriage and Wedding Customs of the Victorian time period are interesting because they are religious, strict, unique, and elegant. First of all, the Victorian time period wedding mores were intriguing because of their strong connection to religion. Terpening explains that “in the sense that marriage is an act through hardship and trial, people who led Christian lives were rewarded by enjoying years with their spouse” (Terpening 22). Even though in the Victorian time period their marriages were arranged, if you and your spouse had the same religions beliefs your marriage will be strong and last longer than other couples. People during the Victorian time believed that if you didn’t practice the same beliefs of your partner your marriage would fall apart or be in great bitterness. Religion played a big role in the Victorian wedding ethnicities but the harsh laws of marriage were a huge part for weddings during this time period. Next, the Victorian time period Wedding traditions were remarkable because of the firm traditions. Author Kat Stromquist ment... ... middle of paper ... ...s how much freedom people have with weddings and wedding traditions in this day of age. Works Cited Antatolyvena, Shapovalova Yanina. “Victorian wedding ritual in the 1950-1980s: Traditions and Innovations (English). “Theory & Practice of Social Development 2 (2013): Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 6. Mar. 2014. Rosenburg-Friedman, Lilach. “Wedding Ceremony, Religion and Tradition: The Shertok Family Debate, 1922. Israel Studies Review 27.1 (2012): 98-124. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6. Mar. 2104 Stromquist, Kat. “Royal Weddings In Romantic Britian.” Britian 79.4 (2011)” 42-45. Master File Elite. Web 5 Mar. 2014. Terpening. “Cheese Wedding Cakes- A New Wedding Tradition. “PR Newswire US 12 Sept. 2012: Regional Business News. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. “The Wedding Ceremony- Secularizations of the Christian Tradition.” (2011): Oalster. Web. 6 Mar. 2014
In the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not “tie the knot” like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, readers can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today.
In Victorian society there were certain criteria that each party followed to find the perfect suitor. If they followed these rules to pick their mate their personal shortcomings would balance out when they married. Certain criteria consisted of “not marrying a person with the same eye color as yourself, marrying someone that was opposite of you in physical and mental characteristics, and marry someone with straight or thicker hair if your hair was curly or thin” (“Finding” 2). After a suitable suitor is chosen and the young lady and the gentleman begin to court certain rules must be followed. These rules were in place to keep the ladies pure until marriage. “The courting couple always had to be chaperoned, the couple needed permission to go out during the day, the gentleman could never stay late at the young lady's house, he could never call without permission and the young lady had to say goodbye at the parlor door” (“Love” 21).
Arranged marriages were arranged by both sides of the families so they could both be benefited with wealth. This force gave the Elizabethan women very little choice in who they were to marry. In almost all cases the brides did not meet their spouses until their wedding day. The wedding day of a woman is the most i...
Perry, Marvin. “On Love and Marriage.” Sources of Western Tradition Volume 1. Boston : Wadsworth, 2006. 259-261. Print.
G. Hersch, Karen K. The Roman Wedding: Ritual and Meaning in Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.
For Victorians, divorce was not only extremely expensive, it was very hard to do. Women and men stayed in unhappy marriages for numerous reasons. Many stayed away from divorce because of the stigma attached to divorced women. It was also considered a societal taboo. “Prior to 1857 England was the only Protestant country in Europe that did not have provisions for civil divorce. Divorce could only be obtained through private Acts of Parliament” (“Divorce”). Divorces were very hard to attain because there was no civil divorce. Private Acts were inconvenient and extremely costly. The poor had no way to attempt divorce under these circumstances. Just 322 divorces were approved prior to the passing of the 1857 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act. Subsequent to this Act passing, divorce rates rose to about 369 in 1890, and 560 in 1900. (“Divorce”).
During the Elizabethan times marriage customs did exist, as they still do today. Over the years these marriage customs have changed from being a very complicated process, to a process that is much simpler. There are many differences between marriage customs during the Elizabethan times and the marriage customs today in the modern world. In saying that, when we look past the differences we also see that there are many similarities as well. Over the past decades, marriage customs continued to evolve from what they were in Shakespeare’s time to what they are now in present day.
In Shakespeare’s day (Elizabethan England) weddings were always a religious and solemn ceremony, conducted by a minister in the parish or local churches. The bride moved from the family's house to the church. This was a particularly festive event and the procession was accompanied by musicians. It was noisy, laughter and bawdy jokes. If the groom was not part of the procession, he met the bride either at the side door of the church or at the altar. They all enter the church at once and stand through the ritual.
We have started to expect that a good wedding is also an expensive wedding, and those who do not spend the excess money obviously cannot love their partners as much as those who spend the average thirty-two thousands dollars. Because of the financial pressure that society puts on love, the meaning behind wedding rituals have been replaced by a competitive performance where those who do not have the means to compete are marginalized.
Like every aspect in Victorian society, great expectations were placed upon weddings. In fact, during this time frame, several guidebooks for weddings were referred to, one of these books was “Our Deportment: On the Manners and Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society” by John H. Young. Many traditions regarding weddings first took place during the Victorian Age and are still followed today.
Marriage serves to unite two people, and although it can bring joy and happiness to those who marry for true love, it can be an inescapable burden to those who marry for wealth and status. Many times, struggles with societal influences and family names impact decisions in matrimony. The novel Pride and Prejudice provides a great contrast between couples who seek out marriage for the right and wrong reasons. Some characters, such as Elizabeth, find great harmony and happiness in their choice of partner, while others, such as Charlotte and Lydia will reap the consequences for marrying for monetary value and status their whole lives.
One of the most significant and happiest moments in one’s life is the wedding ceremony; it’s also a symbol of a union of two people’s hearts. Moreover, a wedding celebration will reflect the culture of each country. A typical Vietnamese wedding emphasizes on traditions and custom. It’s also more complex and takes more time to prepare than a casual United States wedding. Growing up in Vietnam and studying in the United States, I have observed some cultural variations in the wedding of two countries. Vietnamese and American wedding customs, Eastern wedding and Western wedding, are beautiful; however, since there are many differences between the two cultures, the wedding style is different as well.
Bak, János. "Introduction Coronation Studies—Past, Present, and Future." Coronations (1982-2004): 1-10. Web. 6 Jul 2011.
Social functions, particularly marriages, are now opportunities for the elites to showcase their wealth and status. Greater aspirations have also fuelled the trend to have luxurious weddings and the middle class is trying to emulate the
The Zulu people are known for their famous history fighting oppression and exploitation by the European settlers and most notably the many triumphs of the Zulu Army led by the famous King Shaka in the early 1800’s. However, now what sets them apart from most cultures is their unique marriage and wedding practices. The Zulu are known for their colourful and festive wedding celebrations. In this section, these practices will be looked into to gain understanding and identify the unique traits and practices and to also hopefully identify the significance