Courtship & Marriage in Anaxas

Anaxi Weddings

Anaxi weddings are very different depending on race, social class and location, and as Anaxas is something of a 'melting pot' for the rest of the world, there are many small variances in the ceremonies. Sometimes Anaxi families, if they descended from a family of a different culture, will adopt the customs of that culture instead of the Anaxi way. This has led to something of a cultural hodgepodge when it comes to weddings.

Some of the more irrational Anaxi superstitions come out of the woodwork around weddings. If the bride drinks milk before the wedding, she will not bear a child for the first year of marriage; if the husband wears blue to bed on the wedding night, he will be infertile; if the sister of the bride touches the groom before they are married, the husband will be unfaithful. Bluebirds are good luck on a wedding day, while rooks are unlucky. Cats are to be kept as far away from the bride as possible in the week before the wedding. Blistleberry pie is always served at weddings; this is less a superstition, however, and more a calculated attempt to stain the lips red and make the younger women at the ceremony more attractive to potential husbands in the groom's family. Multiple marriages between two families, such as brothers of one family marrying sisters of another, is considered lucky. These superstitions transcend all racial and social boundaries.

Galdori Weddings

Most galdori weddings are the culmination of a long courtship; some relationships have been decided by the parents of the men and women involved, while some are formed purely out of interest. In any case, for most galdori, their wedding is the most important social event of their lives. In recent centuries it has become popular for the mother of the bride to plan the wedding, normally wielding an incredible amount of control over the budget, theme, decor, location, and other details down to the music played and the color of the flowers. Most ceremonies for galdori are lavish, almost always held in a secular location that permits a seamless integration from the ceremony to the reception. Temple weddings (such as those popular in Gior) are completely unorthodox in Anaxas. The typical attitude is that weddings are secular, not ordained by the gods. In a culture where even very simple everyday things are often sanctified in ritual, it is notable that unions between men and women are not.

That is not to say that Anaxi marriages lack religiosity. A good number of rituals exist for the marriage itself. Most include an exchange of vows, typically summing up the idea of "We shall be together forever, I shall protect you and stand by you," and so on; prayers are often said to bless the marriage, and any number of cultural superstitions preside over the ceremony. The oddest thing about the typical Anaxi wedding ceremony is that an officiant is not overseeing the proceedings, such as in Mugrobi and Gioran weddings. The couple almost always lead the ceremony themselves. Many variations on rituals are performed. Some prefer the Gioran handfasting, while some twist Mugrobi tradition around by drinking from a shared bowl rather than being blessed by it. As with most cultures, lavish parties are soon to follow, celebrating the bride and groom's union and new life together. This party is always accompanied by many gifts.

Human Weddings

Humans, generally with fewer resources, free time and space, do not tend to have large ceremonies. Smaller villages often come out in support of a newly married couple and throw a communal wedding which the whole village attends; in the city, friends, neighbors and family are usually involved in the planning of the wedding. Food is of particular importance. As humans do not get the opportunity to indulge themselves as often as they might, many human weddings practically revolve around the food. Preserves, dried or pickled meat and baked goods are very common.

Divorce

Divorces in Anaxas are very rare because of how expensive and difficult they are to obtain. Divorcees are sometimes thought to be frivolous or silly for putting their feelings above practicality and family integrity. However, they are not severely maligned, and can be obtained legally. The "divorce ceremony", an old tradition involving a blessing of the divorce by a member of the Everine, is no longer a widespread practice.