eQuizShow

Marriage in Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Greece

Question: True or False? Ancient Greece did not use the practice of arranged marriage. 
Answer: False. Parents in Ancient Greece would search for a suitable mate for their son or daughter. 

Question: True or False? It was common for all men to have more than one wife at a time. 
Answer: False. During Ancient Greece, only rich men were able to have more than one wife. 

Question: True or False? For Spartans if men did not marry by age 35 then they would lose civil rights or would have to pay a fee. 
Answer: True. 

Question: True or False? Marriage ceremonies would last over a 5 day span.
Answer: True. Marriage ceremonies have many parts. Including Pro Aulia (Pre-Marriage Ceremony), The Gamos (Wedding ceremony), and Epaulia 
(Post Wedding Ceremony).


Question: True or False? June is the most common month for marriage.
Answer: False. January is the most common month. Along with winter being the most common season.

Ancient Rome

Question: True or False? Marriage is strictly monogamous. 
Answer: True. By law you could only have one spouse.

Question: True or False? Brides-to-be and grooms-to-be do not need permission to get married.
Answer: False. Both the bride and the groom need to have permission for the marriage to be legal.

Question: True or False? Women were encouraged to not get re-married after a divorce or death of her husband.
Answer: False. Women were encouraged to get marriage after her divorce or death of her husband. 

Question: True or False? Traditions in a marriage ceremony included sacrificing animals and clasping of the right hands for religious expectations. 
Answer: True. Traditions also included the sharing of fire & water and asking for gods blessing. 

Question: True or False? Typically women could have sex before marriage.
Answer: False. Actually, virginity is a requirement of marriage.

Ancient Eygpt

Question: True or False? Young girls could marry around ages 14 or 15 and men could be anywhere be 17 and 20. 
Answer: True. Since the life span was typically short, they encouraged people to get married at a young age.

Question: True or False? Traditionally there is a big ceremony for a wedding. 
Answer: False. There is no official ceremony. The tradition is that the bride merely moves her belonging into her new husbands house.

Question: True or False? There was a marriage contract drawn up between both families. 
Answer: True. The contract consisted of the date, the names of the couple, the names of the parents and witnesses. Its normally stored in the records of the local temple.

Question: True or False? Women had no say in the marriage. 
Answer: False. Women played a large role in arranging a marriage. The women would act as a messenger between the two families. 

Question: True or False? Women could expect love and affection from her spouse.
Answer: True. Marriage was considered a sacred bond between two people.

Today

Question: True or False? In the United States, people still use matchmakers to find the perfect match.
Answer: True. Today people use online dating websites.

Question: True or False? In New Jersey, anyone under the age of 18 need permission from both sets of parents to get married.
Answer: True. 

Question: True or False? Same-sex marriages are legal in all 50 states as of 2015.
Answer: False. It is only legal in 37 states. It is banned in 13 states including Texas and Georgia.

Question: True or False? In California, a marriage license only costs $50 in each county.
Answer: False. Each county has its own regulations. It can cost anywhere from $35 to $100. 

Question: True or False? Today, the divorce rate is between 10-20 percent. 
Answer: False. The divorce rate is between 40-50 percent. 

Weird Traditions

Question: True or False? To be able to set a date, the Chinese in inner Mongolia were required to kill a baby chicken while holding a knife together. 
Answer: True. They would look at the liver of the baby chick, if it was good they could set the wedding date. If not they had to keep trying until they found a good one. 

Question: True or False? In China, a month before her wedding the bride will be required to cry for an hour each day.
Answer: True. After a couple days the mom of the bride would join in. Then eventually all the women in the family would join. 

Question: True or False? In Ireland, when the bride and groom are dancing the brides feet should never come off the ground. 
Answer: True. Its believed that if the brides feet would come off the ground then evil fairies would come and take her away. Apparently, evil fairies like beautiful things. 

Question: True or False? In the Maruesas Islands of French Polynesia, after the reception is over the relatives of the bride would lay in the dirt side by side. The bride and groom would walk across them.
Answer: True. This tradition is called The Human Rug.

Question: True or False? In Korea, friends of the groom would remove his socks, tie his ankle, and beat his feet with fish in order to prepare him for his first night as a married man. 
Answer: True. This tradition is called Balaka.