It is widely agreed that the origin of marriage dates well before recorded history, but the earliest recorded evidence of marriage ceremonies uniting one woman and one man dates from about 2350 B.C. in the Far East.
Initially, marriage often involved multiple partners, usually female. Monogamy became the guiding principle for Western marriages sometime between the sixth and the ninth centuries, following a protracted battle between the Catholic Church and the old nobility and kings who wanted to say “I can take a second wife”. The Church prevailed, with monogamy becoming central to the notion of marriage by the ninth century.
The main purpose of marriage, earlier on, was to act as an alliance between families, for either economic or political reasons, or both. The marriage was arranged, more often than not, with the couple marrying having no say in the matter. Even today, in some cultures and religions marriages are arranged on the same basis.
Written by Sayoni Mahapatra Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 