Cross-cultural marriages – do they live up to the expectations? Alice October 17, 2018 Relationship For centuries, and even more, a marriage stood as a customary action bringing two different people together. Although the action of performing a wedding changes from one culture to other, the sole reason remains the same until date. There were no cross-cultural marriages back in the days, as people often looked for their match within their community or culture, as the spouse possessed the knowledge of the rituals or the custom actions that the family follows. He/she is not new to the lifestyle.What is changing in the current scenario of Cross-cultural marriages? Given the aspect of globalization and the advent use of the internet, people attained broad mind and started to seek for a partner who has a better understanding and is ready to share life. It comes regardless of the religion, culture, or race. In fact, many of them have started to look even outside of a particular geographical location.Is the change good? When we look at marriage hypothetically, we are seeking companionship, a person who will understand us remains by our side through all the phases of the lifespan. If it was the case, then there is no need to consider religion, culture, caste, creed, or geographical location.Considering the factor that people are looking towards building a strong and everlasting relationship and looking for spouses outside their culture, we can call it as a good move. It not only helps in removing barriers but provides an opportunity to explore new encounters of the culture and gain a new perspective on living life in a new way.Expectations from the new changeWhile there are a lot of expectations whenever there is a cross-cultural marriage, only a few live up to the same. Although the couple adjusts and leads a healthy life, it is the people within the family that find it strange in the beginning. However, they adapt to the situation over the period when they discover that their children are happy.The expectations that we speak about changes from one to another. There is plenty to consider, and parents look at it in all the aspects before accepting a cross-cultural marriage. The reason is that one follows a specific ritual for an extended period and adjust to the lifestyle and pass the same to their children. However, in the current age, the younger generation are considering the individual and their thinking rather than the religion.It will be difficult at first, but over the period people adjust to the multi-culture and begin to respect the same. It provides the needed understanding between the two that successfully paves the path for a healthy marriage. Of course, there will be roadblocks now and then, but overcoming them becomes possible when one thinks straight and with peace of mind.The future We can assume to see a surge in cross-cultural marriages across the globe in the next few years. People belonging to different castes, religions, and even speaking different mother tongue will come into union. The change will help people look at the society and the culture from a different point of view.When we eliminate all the aspects pertaining to a culture or cultures, we look at a simple auspicious ceremony where two people unite together and pledge to live in harmony throughout the life by sharing love, happiness, sadness, and everything else that comes in the way. The pledges and love are all universal across different cultures that exist. Therefore, we can say that the future for cross-culture marriage is bright and people will cherish every moment of it for the rest of their lives.