Latin Marriage Vocabulary
Sunday July 16, 2006
The expressions for betrothal, marriage, and divorce can provide insight into the society that uses them; for instance, in English, we still archaically refer to a father's 'giving away' his daughters at the altar. A similar expression exists in Classical Latin, where, unlike mainstream America, a daughter would be provided with a dowry. Our concept of dowry is as something that is brought into a marriage and is provided by the bride's family, but the actual Latin expression deals with giving the dowry to the daughter, which makes sense since the woman could expect to recoup her dowry in the event of divorce.
Read some of the Latin expressions for betrothal, marriage, and divorce: Latin Marriage Vocabulary
Comments
JULY 16 is my name day which according to my paternal grandmother I was named after her, that in Italy the name day was more important than one’s birthday. Is that true?