9 Strange Courtship Rituals From Around the World

Structural functionalism Nineteenth century ” armchair anthropologists ” were concerned with the basic question of how religion originated in human history. In the twentieth century their conjectural histories were replaced with new concerns around the question of what these beliefs and practices did for societies, regardless of their origin. In this view, religion was a universal, and while its content might vary enormously, it served certain basic functions such as the provision of prescribed solutions to basic human psychological and social problems, as well as expressing the central values of a society. Bronislaw Malinowski used the concept of function to address questions of individual psychological needs; A. Radcliffe-Brown , in contrast, looked for the function purpose of the institution or custom in preserving or maintaining society as a whole. They thus disagreed about the relationship of anxiety to ritual. Homans sought to resolve these opposing theories by differentiating between “primary anxieties” felt by people who lack the techniques to secure results, and “secondary or displaced anxiety” felt by those who have not performed the rites meant to allay primary anxiety correctly.

Pagan meets Puritan

Marriage between a man and woman during this era was seen more as a business deal instead of a loving commitment. Men brought security and wealth to the table, and women brought their dowries and the ability to produce children. Negotiations behind the scenes were made between the parents of the man and his future wife as to how the wealth would be decided, with very little input from the marrying couple.

9 Strange Courtship Rituals From Around the World. BY Ethan Trex. November 4, Here’s how the dating game has been played in various cultures over the years. 1. The Apple of My Armpit.

Actually, the institution has been in a process of constant evolution. Pair-bonding began in the Stone Age as a way of organizing and controlling sexual conduct and providing a stable structure for child-rearing and the tasks of daily life. But that basic concept has taken many forms across different cultures and eras. Polygamy is still common across much of the Muslim world.

The idea of marriage as a sexually exclusive, romantic union between one man and one woman is a relatively recent development. Until two centuries ago, said Harvard historian Nancy Cott, “monogamous households were a tiny, tiny portion” of the world population, found in “just Western Europe and little settlements in North America. The first recorded evidence of marriage contracts and ceremonies dates to 4, years ago, in Mesopotamia.


Being stuck in a long line to buy flowers or trying to make last-minute restaurant reservations on the night of February 13th is a cakewalk compared to some of the things people of the past had to go through just to court someone. Courtship with Knives Photo Description: Traditional Norse knife photo Uwe Kils Attribution: In a ritual filled with sexual innuendos, a girl who was available for marriage would wear a girdle with a sheath, and a potential suitor would place his knife into her sheath if he liked her.

If the girl was interested in marrying the suitor, she would keep the knife. If she was not interested, she would give the knife back to him.

CollegeHumor posted a set of fake Puritan-themed Valentine’s Day cards. They’re a humorous way of reminding us that our intensive focus on romantic love as a .

Articles American culture regularly falls victim to stereotyping and belittlement, arguably thanks to its portrayal in Hollywood films and US television serials. Expats should bear in mind, as with all cultures, the image presented to the world is rarely representative. America is not simply a nation of baseball cap wearing, fast-food eating, obnoxious sports fans.

Rather the United States has a culture rich with its own peculiarities and eccentricities, both good and bad. Unlike the British, renowned for their cynicism, the Americans seem to maintain eternal optimism even when in the direst of straits. Andrew Carnegie once commissioned a young writer to interview successful Americans to find out the key to their achievements.

He discovered that the key to success did not in fact lie with innate intellect or wealth, but simply the conviction that they would achieve. This positive attitude embodies the American culture and inevitably led to the US becoming the most powerful country in the world. Greetings This positive attitude and behaviour can at times be misconstrued as insincere, but it comes from the desire of the Americans to make everyone feel welcome.

It also presents to the world a positive image of the nation; to contrast against the negative depiction regularly broadcast around the world. It is, however, simply courteous and polite and requires no deeper analysis. It is the verbal equivalent of smiling at someone, and should not be taken as an opportunity to relate your life story.


Protestant Bible Freemasonry and the Bible Many more Bible translations have been performed since Freemasonry and the Bible go hand in hand, but throughout the centuries, different Bibles have been placed upon the Masonic altar. While Holy Books from all languages reside upon the many Masonic altars around the world, it is of note that for English speaking Freemasons, whose Masonic lodge uses the Bible, the Bible of today is, like all Bibles, a translated version of the original Hebrew texts.

Among the perennial issues for historians is defining and dating the puritan movement(s) in the English-speaking world. In terms of definitions and boundary markers, social historians tend to focus upon diversity of belief and practice, while historical theologians tend to emphasize theological commonalities.

Bundling Historically, bundling was a courtship practice in which, as a part of an ongoing courtship process, a couple spent a night together, usually in bed, dressed or half dressed. During the night, the young couple got to know each other intimately and sexually through various kinds of stimulation and mutual gratification. However, these were supposed to fall short of penetrative sex that could lead to pregnancy.

The custom was practiced with either parental permission or at least tacit knowledge, and took place mostly in the female partner’s home. Most of the surviving evidence for the practice is from eighteenth-century New England. However, variations of premarital nonpenetrative sex customs similar to bundling are known from earlier times in many parts of Europe as well as other parts of the world. It is probable that bundling increased in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, partly reflecting a high average age at marriage midto late twenties and a growing emphasis on affection.

How to Reclaim Your Joy in Difficult Times



Massachusetts Marriage Ways: The Puritan Idea of Marriage as a Contract 26, and women at about These patterns persisted in the Puritan colonies for nearly a century. The process of a covenanted marriage began with complex rituals of courtship that were.

Why don’t Scots play the dating game? My Scottish friend, Tim, confirmed what I have known for some time now: Afterwards, it is decided whether or not they are a couple or just a sad pathetic fumble in the dark. Generally there is a three to six date policy before sleeping with someone, depending on how skanky you are, how much you like the person etc. Obviously there are exceptions to the dating game. After a few dates and possible make out sessions , people in Toronto have that dreaded serious talk:

Religion and Dietary Practices

The Puritans fled from England to America in large numbers during the 17th century to escape the religious persecution of the Church of England. While the average age of marriage among the Puritans was much older than was typical during this time period — and not all Puritans got married — specific ideals were very much established for the institution. Marriage as a Contract Puritans differed dramatically from the Church of England on the subject of marriage as a civil — vs.

Puritans did not see marriage as a religious sacrament or institution, but rather as a legal contract unrelated to one’s religious beliefs. As a result, the Puritans believed that a marriage should be performed by a magistrate, or officer of the state, as opposed to a member of the clergy. Divorce Because Puritans did not see marriage as essentially tied to religion, they did not view the end of a marriage as a sin.


American women have unreasonable standards. They expect you to have a big house in the suburbs and a salary of at least , dollars from a high status job e. Foreign women on the other hand, are content with a man, as long as he is a nice person and takes care of her and the family sufficiently. American women have the highest obesity rate out of any other women worldwide. Look at your average American woman nowadays— she is fat and looks like a hog.

American women lose their beauty by age 30 and become very ugly, wrinkled, and fat. Foreign women, on the other hand, take care of themselves, exercise, and generally have very sexy bodies. Foreign women continue to be beautiful and attractive into their 40s, because foreign women take care of themselves and have a much healthier diet than American women. American women see nothing wrong with cheating on her man.

All About the Puritan New England Colonies