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 Culture 16

Getting married

Within a few decades, the tradition of marriage rituals has changed greatly, after Syriacs settled in Western countries. In Turabdin, people got married at a very young age, even before the age of 18. In addition, often the marriages were arranged. However, in some cases there were also marriages resulting from lovers who eloped, against the will of their parents. Often, as long as they managed to get their marriage blessed by a priest elsewhere, they would return and live happily in their village. Syriacs living in Western countries have copied the local traditions of marriage. They have started to get married at a much older age because of pursuing higher education and because of their career. They also want to decide for themselves whom to get married to, although parents will always try to influence them somehow. Moreover, after the marriage ceremony in the church, the party that follows thereafter is often organised for hundreds of people with a full dinner and dancing until after midnight. Due to the dispersion of family members, people often travel abroad to participate in each other’s weddings. This is another occasion for a dispersed community to meet and engage with each other.