A recap of the Love and Relationships Panel offered on Valentine’s Day in the Cafeteria
Neal Curtis-Duguay Staff Writer
American society has many very modern practices, in comparison to its Eastern counterparts, born from the U.S.’s much later founding in the 17th century. Regardless, the World’s cultures are extremely diverse, especially when it comes to romance.
Friday, February 14th was the day of a cultural relationship panel during which students from various cultures spoke about their countries’ customs and practices as well as answering the audience’s questions. Topics ranged from public displays of affection to homosexual practices and their acceptance in each culture.
Marriage, for several countries, has a modern and traditional version for couples to choose from. Foreign marriage practices share some characteristics with American weddings, while still having their own unique features. Wedding dresses are common in Vietnam but Vietnam has more varied ceremony dresses than the generic white dress that the U.S. is known for, which International Student Nhi Nhigoc prefers.
Indian marriages are traditional, some are even arranged by the families, but parents may allow certain modern additions such as a trip to the nightclub for a party.
In Uganda, inter-tribal relationships are allowed, but certain tribes may associate with others in this manner, while some tribes are forbidden from prospecting singles. This type of practice is similar to other social class merges found in several cultures, including the U.S. and Pakistan. Pakistan has no trouble with any caste system and marriage, but differences in religion can pose a problem.
The U.S. can be seen more liberal than other countries in some aspects, particularly with dating. In several foreign countries like Uganda and India, PDA tends to stay light or it will attract unwanted attention. In some countries, including Vietnam, dating is difficult for teenagers.
Uzbekistan has the marriage age limit at 18, making any marriages beforehand illegal. On the contrary, South Africa shares a similar history to the U.S.: interracial marriage was illegal due to the Mixed Marriage Act, but was repealed later. Interracial marriage might be accepted in some countries, but not all. It is a very touchy topic in Vietnam—it’s legal, but socially unacceptable.
During the question and answer part of the panel, one person from the audience asked the panelists about their cultures’ stance on homosexual marriage, which lead to a jesting quip from the South African representative, who answered, “No.”
Most of the represented countries do not allow gay marriage, and most are unaccepting of it. India is the one exception—they legalized it but it’s not culturally acceptable. Homosexuality is relatively new in Vietnam as more gays come out of the closet, and some parents are fine with it, but marriage hasn’t quite settled in yet, and gays just get beat up in Uganda.
Each culture has its technicalities and traditions, modern and old, but a common theme of any marriage is romance and love. The Uganda representative, Shalom, opened her discussion by saying “True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.”
