Marriage in Nepal

Marriages may be solemnized according to the customs and usages of the individual’s religion, caste, community or family, provided that those customs do not violate any of the law’s provisions.In Nepal, there is no greater event in a family than a wedding, dramatically evoking every possible social obligation, kinship bond, traditional value, impassioned sentiment, and economic resource. In the arranging and conducting of weddings, the complex permutations of Nepali social systems best display themselves.Most marriages are monogamous, but polygamous unions were traditionally frequent and are still occasionally found. Second and subsequent wives are often members of other ethnic groups, such as the Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Sherpas, and Newars, but not low-caste artisan groups.

Marriage is deemed essential for virtually everyone in Nepal. For the individual, marriage is the great watershed in life, marking the transition to adulthood. Generally this transition like everything else in Nepal depends little upon individual volition but instead occurs as a result of the efforts of many people. Even as one is born into a particular family without the exercise of any personal choice, so is one given a spouse without any personal preference involved. Arranging a marriage is a critical responsibility for parents and other relatives of both bride and groom. Marriage alliances entail some redistribution of wealth as well as building and restructuring social realignments and of course result in the biological reproduction of families.

Traditionally, weddings in Nepal are arranged by the respective families or Astrologers decide on auspicious dates within this period on the basis of the position of the stars. The system of performing wedding ceremony in Nepal is attention-grabbing where the bride and bridegroom perform the Puja and take best wishes as well as blessing from relatives, friends and family members. The marriage venue is decorated by colorful paper flowers and twinkling lights. A Nepalese bride will dress in the bridal color of red, will be beautifully made up and will wear much jewelry. Traditionally, the bride and groom are being carried to the wedding ceremony. It is not uncommon for matches to be decided when the two individuals are still children. However, child marriages in Nepal - as with the majority of countries the rest of the world are illegal and the couple therefore wait until adulthood to complete their marriage rites.Traditionally families in Nepal consider a number of factors before arranging the marriage. These factors may include caste (traditionally marriages do not happen across castes), religion, ethnicity and also the consideration of ties between families in an effort to build allegiances. It is important that arranged marriage and forced marriage in Nepal are not confused.It is not normal practice for families in Nepal who are arranging marriages to force their offspring to marry someone that they do not wish to marry. The offspring are also consulted and it is important that they consent to the marriage.