The first
weddings came about out of the need for protection and survival, not out of
love (or money) like in today's society. Most people think of cavemen dragging
a cavewoman home by her hair. This may not be far from the truth. The primitive
world was very dangerous. People needed to protect themselves against Mother
Nature, wild animals, disease and famine. They were much saver in groups rather
than alone. Many times a man would capture a woman, either by warfare (women
were prized loot from war), raids or trickery and the woman would then become a
man's property. One famous story of marriage by capture was the ancient Greek
tale of Paris stealing away the beautiful Helen of Troy from her husband
Menelaus.
In history, marriage has been
used as a tool to bring together two tribes. A marriage would bond the tribes
together, forming allies. In order to avoid conflicts during the ceremony, the
two tribes would stand on separate sides of the aisle. Hundreds of years later,
we still separate the bride's and the groom's families on different sides of
the aisle during the ceremony. Today, the majority of couples marry for love
and affection, and not primarily out of the need for protection or in an
arranged marriage.
By Nicole Mazzeo
Wrapwithus wedding favors
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