Marriage is a social institution that is legally approved by the laws and the community. It is a lifetime commitment and vow by a couple to stay together through all ups and downs. Marriage is a new beginning of life.
Marriage has its importance. There are many reasons why marriage has started.
In the past people used to marry to protect their land and property. The main purpose of marriage is to get an heir for the wealth they earn.
People used to marry according to their ethnicity. Slowly the system of marriage gets evolves from generation to generation with different perspectives.
People from different ethnic groups contribute to the diversification of wedding ceremonies. Each community performs its ceremonial activities during the wedding.
Wedding is within self a very special venture for a couple with lots of excitement, nervousness, cheery and commitment in which uniqueness of different community of executing wedding make it more commemorate, exquisite and exceptional.
There are many things in bulk we can say about the wedding and very meaningful rituals performed during the wedding which has its own foremost and cultural values in the society. It is regarded as the most solemn and sacred practice throughout the whole world.
The whole world has utmost respect regarding marriage and vows taken at the wedding. So a country like ‘Nepal’ which is known for its uniqueness of culture and tradition from distinct ethnicities has a fascinating way of celebrating the wedding.
In Nepal, people perform their wedding rituals according to their caste or religion.
Looking at any cultural weddings of any ethnicity would be enticing and beguile. Nepal is one of the countries where people still follow traditional marriage.
The main reason for existing traditional marriage in Nepal is because 90 percent of marriage is arranged marriage which also causes a very low divorce rate.
Nowadays, the profound influence of western culture, busy schedules, and show-off culture motivate the youths of Nepal to appraise modern weddings and under valuing traditional weddings.
In traditional marriage, everything is planned and decided by the family. Wedding is performed after only unanimous of both wife and husband family members.
It takes a lot of processes to carry out. Relatives of both family members are invited to the wedding ceremony. All rituals and vows were taken in front of priests and relatives.
It takes a whole day to complete the rituals and wedded as a husband and a wife. In the past marriages even take seven days to complete because of difficult roads and lack of transportation people didn’t have the privilege to use vehicles so the procession have to walk miles to reach the bride’s house. The traditional wedding is so much entrancing to observe and participate in.
All the people from the community participate and they help the bride and groom family to prepare for the function. Mostly they don’t hire people from outside for any type of work like cooking, making tent and making ready any items for the guests.
All the community actively participates in any family when there is an auspicious ceremony like a wedding. These types of traditional marriage can be seen in villages usually.
Modern marriage also follows the rituals and is accepted by society but the interaction of people becoming less. A modern wedding-like destination wedding is becoming popular among rich people where weddings take place in different countries. Nowadays modern wedding is organized by the party palace and hotels mostly.
Therefore, the guests are seen only on the feast day. In a modern wedding, there is not much entertaining and fascinating ambiance like a traditional wedding. In the traditional marriage, at least a member of the community visit groom’s or bride’s house to help in preparing for the wedding before the day of arrival of the wedding.
They care for the guests and only leave after returning the procession. But in modern marriage, all the dishes are prepared by the catering services or hotels or party palaces themselves. Guests have to only attend the wedding on a wedding day. They do not have to help in making meals or any arrangements like in a traditional wedding.
The modern wedding looks so luxurious and lavishing in different ways. Guest with a busy schedule can attend a wedding and have a meal and return immediately and modern people don’t even mind as they are having the same lifestyle. But somehow traditional wedding looks more fascinating and teaches us all the rituals as people are attending the whole process from the beginning.
Traditional wedding makes people more social and contributes to developing their helping nature. Their interaction level and hospitality towards guests are way more eulogizing. Whether modern or traditional, both marriages have been equally accepted in society.
After all, marriage means the commitment to stay loyal, honest, carry responsibility, and, continuously love each other no matter what the circumstance is.
The main purpose of marriage is to have permanent and loving companionship, a healthy relationship and happy life, and to have a family of own. Whether a modern or traditional wedding, in the end, it only matters how happy the couple is.
By Sanam Gurung