What is marriage?

Marriage

Marriage (also called matrimony or wedlock) is a social union or legal contract between people called spouses that creates kinship. The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but is usually an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged. Such a union is often formalized via a wedding ceremony. In terms of legal recognition, most sovereign states and other jurisdictions limit marriage to two persons of opposite sex or gender in the gender binary, and some of these allow polygynous marriage. Since 2000, several countries and some other jurisdictions have legalized same-sex marriage. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity.

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Famous quotes containing the word marriage:

    Only one marriage I regret. I remember after I got that marriage license I went across from the license bureau to a bar for a drink. The bartender said, “What will you have, sir?” And I said, “A glass of hemlock.”
    Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)

    After the first couple of months, she and Charlie didn’t see much of each other except at breakfast. It was a marriage just like any other marriage.
    Orson Welles (1915–1985)

    What is marriage but prostitution to one man instead of many?
    Angela Carter (1940–1992)