Merariq is a traditional marriage practice in the Sasak culture of
Lombok
Lombok, is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is rou ...
, Indonesia, in which a woman is taken away from her home by her future husband before a wedding, symbolically imitating a
bride kidnapping
Bride kidnapping, also known as marriage by abduction or marriage by capture, is a practice in which a man abducts the woman he wishes to marry.
Bride kidnapping (hence the portmanteau bridenapping) has been practiced around the world and t ...
, but with the consent of the parents.
Description
In Merariq, the practice involves the symbolic "
elopement
Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...
" of the bride and groom, where the bride is taken (or "kidnapped") to the groom's house. However, this is consensual and part of an established cultural norm, with both the bride and groom's families typically aware of and involved in the process. It is a traditional ritual rather than an actual forced abduction.
However, the practice has recently been misinterpreted and used as an excuse for non-consensual bride kidnapping.
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References
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Lombok culture
Marriage traditions
Marriage, unions and partnerships in Indonesia