what is Marriage

Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially
or ritually recognized union or legal contract between
spouses that establishes rights and obligations between
them,between them and  their children, and between them
and their in-laws. The definition of marriage varies
according to different cultures, but it is principally an
institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually
sexual, are acknowledged. In some cultures, marriage is
recommended or considered to be compulsory before
pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly,
marriage is considered a cultural universal.
MARRIAGE IN NEPALI CUSTOM
Individuals may marry for several reasons, including legal,
social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious
purposes. Whom they marry may be influenced by socially
determined rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules,
parental choice and individual desire. In some areas of the
world, arranged marriage, child marriage, polygamy, and
sometimes forced marriage, may be practiced as a cultural
tradition. Conversely, such practices may be outlawed and
penalized in parts of the world out of concerns for women's
rights and because of international law.[2] In developed
parts of the world, there has been a general trend towards
ensuring equal rights within marriage for women and legally
recognizing the marriages of interfaith, and same-sex
couples. Often, these trends have been motivated by a
desire to establish equality and uphold human rights.
Marriage can be recognized by a state, an organization, a
religious authority, a tribal group, a local community or
peers. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage, which
does not exist in some countries, is marriage without
religious content carried out by a government institution in
accordance with the marriage laws of the jurisdiction, and
recognised as creating the rights and obligations intrinsic to
matrimony. Marriages can be performed in a secular civil
ceremony or in a religious setting via a wedding ceremony.
The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal
obligations between the individuals involved, and any
offspring they may produce. In terms of legal recognition,
most sovereign states and other jurisdictions limit marriage
to opposite-sex couples and a diminishing number of these
permit polygyny, child marriages, and forced marriages.
Over the twentieth century, a growing number of countries
and other jurisdictions have lifted bans on and have
established legal recognition for interracial marriage,
interfaith marriage, and most recently, same-sex marriage.
[3] Some cultures allow the dissolution of marriage through
divorce or annulment. In some areas, child marriages and
polygamy may occur in spite of national laws against the
practice.
Since the late twentieth century, major social changes in
Western countries have led to changes in the demographics
of marriage, with the age of first marriage increasing, fewer
people marrying, and more couples choosing to cohabit
rather than marry. For example, the number of marriages in
Europe decreased by 30% from 1975 to 2005.[4] As marriage
has become less common, it has, proportionately, become
an upper-middle-class and upper-class phenomenon.
Historically, in most cultures, married women had very few
rights of their own, being considered, along with the family's
children, the property of the husband; as such, they could
not own or inherit property, or represent themselves legally
(see for example coverture). In Europe, the United States,
and other places in the developed world, beginning in the
late 19th century and lasting through the 21st century,
marriage has undergone gradual legal changes, aimed at
improving the rights of the wife. These changes included
giving wives legal identities of their own, abolishing the right
of husbands to physically discipline their wives, giving wives
property rights, liberalizing divorce laws, providing wives
with reproductive rights of their own, and requiring a wife's
consent when sexual relations occur. These changes have
occurred primarily in Western countries. In the 21st century,
there continue to be controversies regarding the legal status
of married women, legal acceptance of or leniency towards
violence within marriage (especially sexual violence),
traditional marriage customs such as dowry and bride price,
forced marriage, marriageable age, and criminalization of
consensual behaviors such as premarital and extramarital
sex.
Etymology
The word "marriage" derives from Middle English mariage,
which first appears in 1250–1300 CE. This in turn is derived
from Old French marier (to marry) and ultimately Latin
marītāre meaning to provide with a husband or wife and
marītāri meaning to get married. The adjective marīt-us -a, -
um meaning matrimonial or nuptial could also be used in
the masculine form as a noun for "husband" and in the
feminine form for "wife".[5] The related word "matrimony"
derives from the Old French word matremoine, which
appears around 1300 CE and ultimately derives from Latin
mātrimōnium, which combines the two concepts: mater
meaning "mother" and the suffix -monium signifying "action,
state, or condition".[6]