marriage by capture

ritual

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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Marriage by capture, while not a universally recognized or documented marriage ritual, touches upon historical practices where a groom would symbolically or literally take a bride, often with the consent of her family. This practice is linked to concepts of bride-wealth or bride-purchase, where the groom's family compensated the bride's family for the loss of her labor and the transfer of her dependence.1

Marriage rituals and ceremonies, in general, serve to validate the union, gain familial or communal sanction, and symbolize a lifelong commitment. These often involve symbolic acts, gifts, and sometimes fertility rites to ensure a prosperous marriage. Historically, marriage has been viewed as a transfer of a woman's dependence from her paternal family to her husband's family, a concept seen across various cultures and legal systems.21

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rite of passage
Marriage rites
Ceremonies of dramatic sham “capture” of the bride by the groom and his relatives and friends have been common in both preliterate and literate societies. Marriage in these societies is seen by social scientists as a cooperative liaison between two different groups of kin, between which some feelings of…
Read More
Ceremonies of dramatic sham “capture” of the bride by the groom and his relatives and friends have been common in both preliterate and literate societies. Marriage in these societies is seen by social scientists as a cooperative liaison between two different groups of kin, between which some feelings of…
Read More