Marriage

Marriage is a universal, meaning that no matter where you would go in the world there is marriage. However the meaning of marriage might be different and they way it is done but it still exists all over the world. The people's marriage that I will be looking at with the one I know of my own cultures is that of the Ju/'hoansi. The Ju/'hoansi are indigenous people who live in Southern part of Africa and have a totally different way of living and surviving from our culture. For one, culture and religion in the western society is separated so there are many adaptations and variations unlike with the Ju/'hoansi whose religion and culture are not separated and cannot be distinguished. The economic systems also play a big part in the marriage process and why it is so.

There are many similarities and differences in the Ju/'hoansi marriage with the one I observed of my own family and culture. One major difference is how marriage is viewed by both cultures. The Ju/'hoansi believe marriage is a major part of life and starts to prepare the marriage of someone from birth. As stated by Lee, "Traditionally, the search for a marriage partner for a girl or boy usually begins soon after a child is born." (Lee, 77). In the society of the Ju/'hoansi they live as Hunter-gatherers finding what they need to live day in and day out supporting their families. Their traditions and rituals are who they are. It is unlike here in western society where we distinguish between religious beliefs, cultural background and ethnicity. There are no such things as them in the lives of the Ju/'hoansi. It is a way of life that has been with them since the beginning of the culture. In the beliefs of my culture marriage is a big step in life but not everyone goes through it and not at the same time period in their lives. Therefore in my culture people decide for themselves who they want to marry and be with and that could take sometime. However it is an important change in life in both cultures but serve different meanings within. Whereas with the Ju/'hoansi marriage is "arranged by the parents and may involve a decade or more of gift exchange before the children are actually wed." (Lee, 77). Within the Ju/'hoansi girls typically get married between the ages of 12 and 16 and the boys are usually between 18 and 25. These are young ages too be getting married from my cultures point of view especially the girl, but to the Ju/'hoansi the age of the girl is when she is able to have babies and start a family and that is what it is about and important because the survival of them relies on it.

In our society marriage is both a cultural tradition and a religious one at the same time. It is intermingled and adapted to fit our lifestyle and needs. The religion that I was brought up in was Catholicism. Marriage is a little more complex when talking about it in religious terms. It is one of the seven sacraments and is a value to the whole Christian community. Marriage is not only seen as two people just living together, it is a reminder of God's presence in all human relationships. It symbolizes an achievement that both people have come to understand that of God's meaning and teachings. Through that knowledge and discipline that those two people have practiced, they are ready to show and share the message with each other, the community and most importantly the family that they create together. However marriage is not exactly like that in the everyday sense, especially in western culture.

Within my culture there is religion, because church and state are separated. Looking at it in this perspective it shows that culture is viewed as more important and bigger than religion. Living in today's society it is hard to stay focused on the meaning of marriage from a religious standpoint and not fall into the trap of what marriage is seen as to the rest of society, as two people living together to support a family and to create a name that will live on after them. There are many distractions in a capitalist society that allow religious beliefs to fall to the back burner; especially money which I believe causes the majority of problems. Unlike in other societies where their economic systems are different and where church and state are not separated and do not exist independently.

Marriage in the culture of the Ju/'hoansi is a point in their life which basically everyone goes through. There really is no thought about it; it just is a way of how they live. People have their roles in the culture and they rarely try and break out of them because these things that they do, work for them and everyone is treated equally. Life is simple for them in that their meaning for life is to survive and live. They are hunter-gathers and have to do these things everyday to survive. In my culture things aren't like that and life is more complicated with people being forced into certain roles in life and trying to break out of them. This is why marriage in my culture can get fuzzy and misinterpreted especially with all the interference from the outside. In my culture girls are seen as weak and dependent and this along with other factors of any culture have played an influential role in religious values and beliefs. For instance by a girl getting married and having a baby at the age of what the Ju/'hoansi would trying to live in western culture it would be unacceptable because society would view differently than what would then be called their religion.

Within the Catholic religion of my culture marriage can happen at anytime in life, given within reason of course because of society, and needs only to have the two people ready in the sense of mind and soul and willing to accept the responsibilities that come along with it. It is more of a mental and philosophical/religious preparation that everyone comes to in their own way. Within the Ju/'hoansi it is more of a set way of life and strict timeline in which people get married. It is their culture and it is their religion at the same time in which they need to do to survive.

In my culture as well as in the Ju/'hoansi the marriage is in a way also among both families of the boy and girl. In the Ju/'hoansi since the parents choose who their son or daughter is going to marry, they must meet and get along well with each other for the marriage to go over.