Marriage facts for kids
Marriage is when two people join together in a special union. Think of it like a promise or a contract between them. People often call this matrimony. When someone is married, we say they are in wedlock. Many people celebrate getting married with a special party or event called a wedding.
Most often, marriage is a union between a man and a woman, who then become husband and wife. However, in some places, two people of the same sex can also get married. A civil marriage is done by a government official and is not linked to religion. A religious marriage is performed by a religious leader, like a priest or a rabbi.
The most common type of marriage is a legally binding union between a man and a woman. Some societies also recognize polygamy (where a man can be married to many women) or polyandry (where a woman can be married to many men). For example, in Senegal, almost half of all marriages involve more than two people. A temporary marriage is sometimes called a wedlease.
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Why People Marry
People choose to marry for many different reasons. Here are some of the main ones:
- They want their family to be officially recognized by law.
- They want to have children and make it easier to pass on their property or money to them.
- They want to show their love for each other in a formal way.
- They might want to get citizenship in a different state or country.
Rights and Responsibilities
When people get married, they usually gain certain rights and responsibilities towards each other. These can include:
- The right to visit their spouse in a hospital or prison.
- The right to make important decisions for their spouse if they are unable to do so themselves.
- Both spouses often become responsible for any debts or financial duties of the couple.
Marriage and Religion
Marriage often has a spiritual side too. Besides the legal part recognized by the state, there is often a religious ceremony. For example, a Christian wedding usually takes place in a church.
Most religions and laws have rules about who can marry. For instance, people who are very closely related, like brothers and sisters, usually cannot marry. This rule helps prevent health problems for any children they might have. People also need to be a certain age to get married. This age is usually set by law.
In Hinduism, marriage is considered very sacred. It is seen as a holy union, much like the union of the goddess "Laxmi" and the god "Narayan."
Same-Sex Marriage
Some countries and religious groups also allow two partners of the same sex to marry. This is known as same-sex marriage. The Netherlands was one of the first countries to change its laws to allow these unions. Other countries that permit same-sex marriage might use different names for it.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Indonesian wedding
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Nepali wedding
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Islamic wedding
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In an 1828 "Wife Wanted" advertisement, an Englishman claiming a "great taste for building" pledges to apply a prospective wife's dowry-like £1000+ to build property that will be "settled on her for life"
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An arranged marriage between Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain
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Traditional, formal presentation of the bridewealth (also known as "sin sot") at an engagement ceremony in Thailand
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Couple married in a Shinto ceremony in Takayama, Gifu prefecture
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A newly married Assyrian couple
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Various advocates of same-sex marriage, such as this protester at a demonstration in New York City against California Proposition 8, consider civil unions an inferior alternative to legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
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"Esposas de Matrimonio" ("Wedding Cuffs"), a wedding ring sculpture expressing the criticism of marriages' effects on individual liberty. Esposas is a play on Spanish, in which the singular form of the word esposa refers to a spouse, and the plural refers to handcuffs.
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Anti-dowry poster in Bangalore, India
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Percentage of births to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007
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A man and woman exchange rings
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Crowning during Holy Matrimony in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church and a part of the Saint Thomas Christian community in India
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Christian wedding in Kyoto, Japan
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Russian orthodox wedding ceremony
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A couple following their marriage in the Manti Utah Temple
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Newlywed couples visit Timur's statues to receive wedding blessings in Uzbekistan.
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A Muslim bride of Pakistan origin signing the nikkah nama or marriage certificate
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A Muslim couple being wed alongside the Tungabhadra River at Hampi, India
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A Jewish wedding, painting by Jozef Israëls, 1903
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A Ketubah in Hebrew, a Jewish marriage-contract outlining the duties of each partner
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Hindu marriage ceremony from a Rajput wedding
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A Nepali Hindu couple in marriage ceremony
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Seuso and his wife
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A marriage in 1960 in Italy. Photo by Paolo Monti.
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Newlyweds after a civil ceremony in the tower of Stockholm City Hall in 2016
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See also
In Spanish: Matrimonio para niños
