Aspects of Change in Marriage Customs

Sawsan Ismael

The author indicates the factors that have led to such changes in marriage customs in the sample community, especially Bahrain. These factors include the following:
1) Education which is free to all individuals in all locations (cities and villages) in addition to higher education institutions, colleges and universities. Education has enhanced people’s respect for women’s ideas.
2) Medical services have spread awareness among people with regard to hereditary diseases, especially blood diseases, which usually caused by marriage from the same family.
3) Mass Media have increased people’s knowledge concerning life and society in general.
4) Telecommunication media have shortened distances and hence made people familiar with marriage customs and traditions in different countries, especially those germane to choice of a marriage partner.
5) Women’s employment has made people forsake some faulty customs and beliefs about women.
6) Colonialism which helped countries develop in the fields of constructions, commerce and culture.
7) Technological developments which have diversified ways of organizing the wedding ceremony.

The author aims to draw attention to the existence of some traditions in some villages which have not been investigated adequately. Of such villages is the village of al-Nuweirdat in which a wedding ceremony is different from other occasions. The author concludes that a lot of customs have faded away as a result of modernism which has made some people give up their customs and traditions.