Arranged marriages are not as prominent in modern culture as it was in the past. However, there are countries in the world that still practice this ancient tradition. An example of one of these said nations is India. In India, families still set up arranged marriages for their children. modern arranged marriages in the Indian subcontinent are actually incredibly similar to arranged marriages in the Elizabethan Era. In India, marriages are arranged according to the country's incredibly strict social structure. (1) This system is called the caste system. The caste system in India goes beyond a way of separating society into groups; it is a way of life. The lowest level of the caste system, the Shudra, are often treated with much disdain and violence by citizens in higher castes. (2) Like arranged marriages in the Elizabethan Era, arranged marriages in India would never be between two social groups. In fact, in India, this would be considered taboo and no sane person would ever think of marrying someone outside their caste. Arranged marriages in India are different than Elizabethan marriages because they are not meant to keep their belongings and social statuses. (With the caste system, it isn't a chore to maintain your social status. You are born in your caste and die in your caste). Indian arranged marriages are mainly set up to simply get two children together with families who were very close. India has practiced arranged marriages ever since the fourth century C.E. and still practices it today. Along with the old practice of arranged marriages, India also still includes dowries in their traditions. Dowries are the price that the groom's family must pay the bride's family. (3) Back in the earlier days of the country, dowries were looked at as a courtesy. After all, if one family was going to take their daughter from another family, they might as well give them a small token in return for their object of a girl. The bigger the dowry, the happier the girl's parents were because they believed their daughter married into a relatively wealthy family.
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