Marriage and Family

In the past, marriages were most often arranged by families, but today people usually choose their own marriage partners. When a couple is ready to marry, it is traditional for visits and gifts to be exchanged between the groom’s representative and the bride’s family. The parents plan the wedding. A bridal token, known as a roora (or lobola), is paid to the bride’s parents. Because there has been a tendency for the bride’s family to demand more and more, some people now want the tradition abolished. A church wedding for a Christian couple is often just one of many ceremonies that mark the marriage.