Giving the Bride away at weddings.

[DancesWithWife]

I am wondering why this is still done. We had a wedding in our Congregation today. I did not attend but my wife watched on Zoom.  I have done some research and found it has questionable origins. The origins of giving away the bride:

 

"The custom of "giving away the bride" stems from the days of arranged marriages.

In ancient times—and, sadly, in some parts of the world still today—women were considered the property of their father. It was his responsibility to find them good husbands who could provide a handsome bride price. He legally handed her off to her new husband, often along with a dowry, as a symbol of transferring "ownership" from one man to another.

 

As with many timeless traditions, we tend to overlook those archaic roots in modern times. And today, most cultures embrace the custom. But for different reasons, of course." According to another source "At some weddings, the father still gives away his daughter as a show of love and support. In more progressive affairs, both parents may choose to walk the bride down the aisle or the bride walks herself. Generally speaking, most couples will think carefully about how they want to execute the tradition. For many, the act now signifies a seamless joining of two families. For others, the moment forms a bridge between an old life and a new life."

 

And finally, this thought from Lara Mahler: "According to Mahler, the history behind the tradition can be a little hard to swallow. “It comes from an era where women were the property of men,” she explains. “Fathers walking their daughter down the aisle and giving their daughter, the bride, away represented a transfer of ownership from her father to her new husband.” Though its roots are decidedly antiquated, that fact doesn’t necessarily mean we should throw away the tradition all together. “The beauty of weddings these days is that now couples can reinvent the tradition,” says Mahler. “The tradition of the father walking the bride down the aisle has evolved from what it was to it being a gesture of uniting families and showing love and respect for the new marriage.”

 

What are your thoughts? 

[Dages]

As far as there is no pagan (religious) stuff... It's ok for me.

 

This is just a little bit patriarchy-related stuff, and that's biblically fine, imho, the father being the head of the family.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Dages

[Witness1970]

Arranged marriages go way back.  (Genesis 2:21, 22) . . .So Jehovah God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. 22 And Jehovah God built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.

 

(Genesis 24:1-4) . . .Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest one of his household, who was managing all he had: “Please put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Caʹnaan·ites, among whom I am dwelling. 4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.”
 

I have heard that arranged marriages last longer than the way it is done today, but I do not have enough evidence to say that is true.  Maybe arranged marriages were a good idea.  I do not know.