Marriage Rituals

The thesis deals with a little known, albeit particular and unique Central European object group from the fifteenth-century. A great number of wood saddles covered with bone panels survived from the first part of the fifteenth century and are dispersed in museums all over the world. Despite their particularity, these special parade objects have not gained enough attention in scholarship which can be explained by the main issue related to them: the lack of written sources. Therefore we cannot assert when and where exactly they were made, or their original purpose.
The aim of the thesis is to examine a recent idea connected to the purpose of the saddles, namely that they were used during marriage processions. In order to find an answer to this question, in my thesis I examine the topic from different angles: their decoration and their possible cultural context. Accordingly, my thesis is divided into four main chapters. In the first chapter, I give an overview of the most important issues about the object group. In the second chapter, I reveal the dominating iconography, which is connected to love. The third chapter examines the inscriptions which usually have some love content and the initials which may refer to concrete couples. Finally, I place these special objects in their probable cultural context: in late medieval marriage rituals.

The marriage festivities in Gilgit-Baltistan are culturist as well as kaleidoscopic in nature, envisaging multi ethnic groups residing at short distances but practicing common ethos. The rituals are harnessing the indigenous culture and flourishing a peaceful and harmonized society. The present study aims to articulate the most mesmerizing and jubilant aspects of this enigmatic culture which entails a memo of unification in the society i.e. marriage ceremonies and the use of ornaments. To understand the prevalence of such marriage related rituals a historical method alongside ethnographic exploration was done. A mix method approach including a) key informants, b) focus group discussions (FGDs), and c) in-depth interviews was used for data collection. The selection of the respondents was mainly based on purposive sampling method. The target area for current research was District Astore in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan where the prevalence of discrete social segregation and ethnic divisions was perpetuating. Entailing a denser historical significance Astore remained the communication corridor between Gilgit and Jammu Kashmir region in the past and side by side having international standing due to its natural splendors which attract the tourists from all over the world. This article focuses on the entire account into a precise historical background, understanding of the geography, language, and major ethnic groups, the marriage rituals and the unique ornaments of marriage practices in Astore valley.

Does the Christian faith espouse the model of mutuality within marriage or does it embrace rather the model of male headship?  Discussion of this question concerning the essential structure of married life has emerged most often in the fields of scripture studies, sociology, and pastoral theology, while comparatively little consideration has been given to the question from the standpoint of liturgical theology.  This presentation explores a wide range of marriage rituals from Judaism, the Christian East, and the Christian West in search of evidence that supports the notion of marriage as a partnership between equals or as an institution of which the husband is the head.  The witness of the liturgical rites for marriage throughout history suggests that these two models are better harmonized than dichotomized.

"…che Athena l'ha dotata più delle altre donne con maestria di lavori belli e di un cuore comprensivo, e accorgimenti quali niun altra sappiamo che avesse ... " Odissea 2.116 Alla memoria di Silvana Luppino 1. Introduzione Colgo l'occasione per dedicare questa relazione alla memoria di Silvana Luppino, la studiosa con cui ho lavorato per più di venti anni, con momenti tesi, ma anche buoni: mi vengono in mente bei ricordi di Lei che gesticola, concentrata nelle discussioni sui ruoli nella colonizzazione greca di Francavilla Marittima-Lagaria e di Sybaris con i miei studenti dell'Università di Groningen. Mi ricordo anche quando alla fine dei lavori archeologici avevamo qualche partita di calcio con le squadre degli studenti scavatori di Trebisacce e Francavilla contro gli operai a Sibari (vinta sempre da questi ultimi, anche per l'entusiasmo dimostrato dalla dottoressa Luppino). Ricordi dei primi anni, quando Silvana (su suggerimento di Maria W. Stoop con la quale iniziava il mio lavoro su Timpone della Motta 1), m'invitava a riprendere gli scavi sulla collina di Timpone della Motta perché atti clandestini erano dappertutto visibili: buchi nuovi e profondi ma anche piccoli e superficiali-lasciati dai metaldetectors. Poco più tardi, quando ho scoperto gli oggetti trafugati negli anni '70 dello scorso secolo da Timpone della Motta nelle collezioni svizzere, nel Museo Ny Carlsberg e nel Museo Getty a * Sono molto grata alla dott.ssa Lucilla Barresi, alla dott. essa Marianna Fasanella Masci e alla dott.essa Francesca Mermati per avermi aiutato con l'italiano del testo, gli errori rimasti sono colpa mia. Senza la loro perpetua e amichevole interesse, discussione e correzione avevo smesso scrivere in Italiano molto tempo fa. 1 Sulle ricerche archeologiche a Francavilla Marittima: DE LACHENAL 2007, pp. 17-81; sulla identificazione di Lagaria

The main sources of this article are 750 matrimonial trials discussed before the ecclesiastical court in Venice (1420-1545). This article analyzes the differing conceptions of marriage held by the laity and by the ecclesiastical hierarchy as these ideas were expressed in a dialectical relationship in court. Central to this analysis is the concept of consent, since consent, with widely differing interpretations, formed the foundation and the essence of both canonical and lay customary marriage. In the pre-Tridentine ecclesiastical court, custom played a leading role in deciding matters related to the marriage bond. These sources allow access to aspects of marriage that are usually not recorded and make it possible to reevaluate social phenomena which have been defined from a post-Tridentine perspective as transgressive. Practices such as bigamy, concubinage, and stuprum appear not as deviant, but as part of socially accepted marital behavior that is much broader and more heterogeneous than historians have appreciated.

Tematem proponowanego artykułu są zagadnienia z zakresu rozumienia miłości oraz życia rodzinnego w nauczaniu L. Rona Hubbarda, założyciela Kościoła Scjentologicznego, powstałego w drugiej połowie lat 50. XX wieku w USA, a dzisiaj istniejącego niemalże w każdym kraju cywilizacji zachodniej, i poszerzającego swoją działalność misyjną na całym świecie. Głównym celem tekstu jest przedstawienie tzw. teorii Ośmiu Dynamik życia – jednej z podstawowych części teoretycznych w doktrynie religijnej kultu scjentologów, – a zwłaszcza Drugiej Dynamiki, dotyczącej kwestii miłości, małżeństwa, rodziny i seksu. Cel ów zostaje osiągnięty za pomocą analizy narratywnej oraz refleksji teologicznej nad opisywanymi zagadnieniami tematycznymi. Metoda badawcza, która została zastosowana w owym tekście, oscyluje w obrębie współczesnych podejść fenomenologicznych oraz metodologii socjologii religii. Artykuł został podzielony na kilka części. Po krótkim wprowadzeniu propedeutycznym w arkany Scjentologii jest przedstawiona nauka L. Rona na temat ośmiu dynamik ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem tej drugiej. Dalsza uwaga jest zwrócona na filary małżeństwa w doktrynie religijnej wspomnianego związku wyznaniowego, jak również na ryt ceremonii ślubnej wiernych tejże religii, komponenty pedagogii scjentologów oraz relacje wewnątrzrodzinne wyznawców nauk Hubbarda. Na końcu artykułu zostały przedstawione krótkie wnioski podsumowujące wraz z próbą zanalizowania rozumienia miejsca i roli kwestii miłości rodzinnej w związkach wyznaniowych na przykładzie Scjentologii. Głównym wynikiem przeprowadzonej analizy jest ukazanie pozycji, jaką zajmuje idea życia rodzinnego w religijnej nauce Kościoła Scjentologicznego, jej nieodzowna, a nawet wręcz obowiązkowa funkcja społeczna w życiu wyznawców nauk L. Rona Hubbarda. Tekst może stać się podłożem dla dalszych badań nad doktryną scjentologiczną, zwłaszcza w zakresie wątków, dotyczących roli i miejsca seksu oraz wychowywania dzieci, gdyż owe części tzw. Drugiej Dynamiki zostały jedynie wspomniane oraz opisane w bardzo krótkim zarysie.

The article deals with the iconography and function of marriage caskets of the Embriachi workshop (1370-1430). The examination of the ancient tales sculpted on the caskets, notably the story of Paris, Jason and Pyramus and Thisbe, shows that these were not derived from classical sources, but from medieval vernacular romances and poems. Such texts were read and praised among Florentine merchants, who were the principal audience of the workshop. Literary and documentary sources of the late 14th century show how these caskets were used in marriage rituals: presented by the groom to the bride as they began to see each other, after the marriage contract had been stipulated, the forzierino was a sign of the love of the groom to his future wife. That’s why the stories chosen insisted on subjects like the eternity of love (Pyramus), the beauty of women (Paris), or the bravery and fidelity of men (Jason). The founder of the workshop, Baldassarre Ubriachi, was probably responsible of the selection of themes: as a preeminent member of the Florentine patriciate, he knew very well the tastes of his audience, and being in close relation to the humanistic circle, ha had also the culture required.

This paper discusses marriage rituals in a Hakka community in a resettlement village in Sarawak, Malaysia. Modernity has changed the lifestyles of the villagers. They have gained access to improved infrastructure, greater exposure to the mass media, higher education attainment and increased social mobility especially amongst the young people working outside the village. Despite the social changes due to modernization, marriage rituals have remained very much the same. I examined the reasons behind the continuance of such rituals and my hypothesis is that the villagers still uphold a worldview that marriage does not only involve themselves (the living), but also the supernatural beings in the other world (their dead ancestors). The legitimacy of the union in marriage is acknowledged after the blessings of the ancestors have been sought. Although on the surface, ancestor worship is an expression obligation, they actually connote the eternal alliance between the dead and the living. As suggested by Turner (1974), ritual does not act just as " social glue " that holds the community together or put social order into place. I thus examine further the symbolic representation of ancestor worship in marriage rituals. I use the term " emulating process " to describe how the future is moulded to gratify the past because one will become a past in the future. It is performed to ensure that the family lineage is carried on, as has been past down by their ancestors.

Using court records from the second half of the fourteenth century, combined with the approach of micro-history, the author analyses litigations over dowries in Zadar. Court records show that not all contract-regulated private relations, including those related to dowries, ended in the peaceful fulfilment of contractual obligations. Depending on the circumstances of each particular case, certain problems might arise, which were then addressed by the appropriate town’s magistrate. The analysis of the said court records provides answers to the following questions: who initiated disputes over dowries and against whom, why they occurred, what the real problems that litigants faced during judicial proceedings were, whether they managed to settle their claims by seeking assistance from the court, and if so, in what ways.
On a general level, court records indicate two main reasons for the initiation of litigations in connection to dowries. First and most frequently, court disputes over dowries were conducted when a husband or his testamentary-appointed executors and heirs would not return a dowry to a woman or her children after the death of a spouse. Secondly, disputes over dowries arose when a girl’s father or some other relatives would not pay the entire amount of the dowry to her husband by the agreed deadline. Seeking justice from the court, however, was not an easy venture and did not guarantee success from the start. Judicial proceedings offered opportunities for many delays that could significantly prolong them, and the conclusion of litigation could also mean starting another process when the claim could not be settled.
When judicial proceedings ended successfully for the plaintiff, the initial conditions for the enforcement of sentences were achieved only with the expiration of ten days for appeals. The procedure then required the obtaining of consent from the rectors of Zadar for the execution of the sentence, after which it was necessary to trace adequate assets of the defendant, suitable for disposal. After the successful execution of matters concerning any given property, the creditor had an obligation to offer its repurchase to the defendant, and only when he would not accept it within three days could the creditor initiate auction and sell the disposed assets. It should be noted, however, that even at this stage, certain problems could occur, and all of them meant further delays and postponed the actual settlement. Only after the successful completion of all the aforementioned actions, i.e. the successful completion of judicial proceedings that resulted in a valid sentence, the successful execution of that sentence and selling of the disposed assets at auction, could one reach the final settlement.

BA Dissertation about funerary, marriage and birth rituals in Chinese tradition through XX century. In particular the thesis illustrates (1) Hungry Ghosts phenomenon in the Chinese religious system; (2) the ritual of Ghost Wedding in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Bao-An; (3) the phenomenon of resistance to marriage by women in rural Guangdong, and the connection with ritual sericulture; (4) the Mother-child Syndrome, post-partum syndrome from a cosmological point of view, according to traditional Chinese medicine.

In the Chinese family daughters are regarded as temporary members. She acquires a permanent status upon marriage which offers her the transition or rites de passage from one social category to another. This study is based on my research of a Hakka community in a resettlement village in Sarawak. The intention is to link the marriage rituals to the theory of the rites of passage and that of the " dangerous bride ". In the liminal phase or a state of " no belonging " as the bride is transferred in between fixed points of classifications of a daughter and a daughter-in-law, she is looked upon as a " floating spirit ". The arriving daughter-in-law is therefore wrapped in a superstition that associates her with possession of a potent negative force or energy called sa qi (煞气). This hidden force is believed to be capable of inflicting misfortune to the family or offence to the gods. The marriage rituals would thus include the performance of respect to the gods and ancestors. It is when these rituals are properly performed that the liminal stage of the life of the bride comes to an end and she gains acceptance into her husband " s family.

In my writing, I examine the formation and transformation of the betrothal practices of the Roman Catholic Hungarian community of Gyimes based on the results of my fieldwork research from 2005 to 2016. Betrothal came into practice in the 1980s; prior to that, ethnographic sources only mention the ritual occasion of proposal. According to Roman Catholic church norms, the ring could not be worn before the church wedding; only newlyweds were allowed to put it on their finger. For a long time, they used borrowed rings for the blessing of the rings. I explore why it was important for young couples to buy or have their own precious metal wedding rings made, despite regulations that virtually prohibited, but certainly did not support, the pre-wedding wearing of rings. Why did ring wearing and betrothal itself become fashionable? I identify the ideologies and concepts that transformed the earlier rites and views and how they contributed to the popularity of wedding ring sets and companion rings offered by jewelers. I argue that an alternative betrothal rite, the act and ideology of the Csíksomlyó ring exchange, could have greatly contributed to betrothal and ring wearing becoming a common practice in Gyimes. Until the 1990s, this was a strategy adopted by the local community which, similarly to the secular, profane passage into womanhood or emergency baptism, offered an opportunity to exit marginal life situations.

IntroductionThe Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan holds a set of anomalous attributes ranging from cultural diversity to enriched historical accounts and intriguing topographic features which converges the global attentions. Spreading over an area of 72,496 square kilometers, this region comprises of 10 varying districts inhabiting different patterns and dialects, ultimately making the entire region a blend of widely practicing ethos (Government of Gilgit-Baltistan 2015). The famous ancient trade route (famously known as silk-route) passes through the region which enhances its strategic importance. This traditional silk-route used for trade throughout ages and linked the Subcontinent with China and Central Asia and Europe. This strategic location of the region became lucrative to the then prominent rulers i.e. Sikhs of Punjab and Dogras of Kashmir in extending their powers by occupancy of the region. With ruling inclinations, the Sikhs and Dogras attacked and occupied a larger par...

Research Framework: This study has been realized in the context of intensification in the use of studio photography by Moroccan families during the main stages of their children’s growth, as well as during religious feasts.

Objectives: The aim is to understand the social and ritual functions of child photography.

Methodology: The data has been collected through two methods of investigation. The first part was conducted in two stages and realized with the help of sociology students. We first observed 50 studios in the Grand Casablanca and then did an observation of family albums. The second method was conducted by the author from 2010 to 2015 as a visual observation of the video photographic ritual in a public space of Mohammedia.

Results: Child photography is a social construct of some parts of the child’s image, which results from a community of thought and action between photographers and families. The album is a gendered practice and can be understood as a proof of the child’s good treatment as well as a symbolic and transmittable asset. Child photography is a way of passing on the traditional dress and it reflects the impregnation of family photography by the Makhzen culture and the marriage symbolism.

Conclusions: The video photographic ritual is a means in the construction of gendered identities and the inculcation of marriage ideology at an early age. Child photography reveals that marriage remains a highly valued institution and that children are prepared from a very early age to project themselves in their roles as husband and wife. The nuptial dress ritual in child photography is a way of transmitting the national identity and the royal symbols and values.

Contribution: This study offers a research contribution in family photography by drawing attention on the heuristic interest of child photography as a key to understanding the social logics at work beneath the family visual practices.