Why Courtship before Marriage

What is courtship?

A courtship definition is when potential partners spend time together and get to know each other before a possible marriage.

What is courting?

The verb form of courtship is courting. The courting meaning is the process of the couple getting to know each other and any particular activities or rituals they might do together as part of this process. Courtship varies from culture to culture and from couple to couple, so different people may practice different activities or rituals during this period.

Some courtship activities include: going on dates, gift-giving, correspondence (such as writing letters, text messages, talking on the phone, etcetera to communicate either before meeting in person or in between meetings), meeting each other's families, dancing, eating together, traveling together, working together to create some project, wearing special outfits, marriage proposals, and a variety of other activities depending on the culture and the individuals.

The courtship meaning is sometimes direct and sometimes symbolic. Certain courtship activities may be practical for couples to get to know each other (such as texting or meeting to discuss their interests). In contrast, other activities, rituals, or gifts may symbolize love, prosperity, happiness, and the like.

Purpose of Courtship

The primary purpose of courtship is for the couple (and possibly also their families or other important people in their lives) to get to know each other and figure out whether a marriage between them is a good idea.

Additionally, the other major purpose of courtship is to lay the foundation for a successful marriage and future together.

Many activities commonly practiced during courtship allow couples time to get acquainted and discuss their beliefs and hopes or plans for the future.

Activities that enable couples to get to know each other or deepen their connection could include

Writing letters,

Texting,

Going on dates,

Giving each other holiday gifts,

Meeting each other's friends, etcetera.

Certain courtship activities may also serve the purpose of ''testing'' whether or not the couple would be a good fit in marriage by simulating certain scenarios that married couples experience. These activities could include cooking a meal together, traveling together, working together on a project, or splitting the cost of some investment or purchase.

There is also a semantic purpose to courtship. 

Semantics refers to the symbolic meaning of social or cultural signs. Certain rituals, gifts, and activities practiced during courtship have a symbolic meaning, whether or not they also serve a practical purpose. For example, one partner may give the other one red roses as a gift to symbolize love because this is the symbol that has been culturally assigned to red roses specifically. Partners might also exchange engagement rings to symbolize commitment and love. Although these gifts might look nice or even serve a purpose on their own, their symbolic meaning is integral to why couples exchange them during courtship.

There is not really a courtship period in arranged marriages, since the primary purpose of courtship has already been accomplished. Rather than a courtship process occurring between individuals who are to get married, the process of forming the couple would be left up to family members, matchmakers, or other people who would not actually be part of the marriage. Although some of the activities often practiced during courtship could occur in arranged marriages once the couple is married, courtship refers to the period before marriage. So it would not exactly be considered courtship in the same way.

Duration of Courtship

Duration of courtship refers to the length of time a couple explores the potential for a relationship or marriage before an actual marriage occurs. The duration of courtship depends on different cultural and religious practices and the individuals in the couple. In the United States, it is common for couples to have a courtship period of a couple of years or more before getting married. However, this varies entirely on the individual, and some couples may have a brief courtship period or virtually no courtship period.

In summary Courtship is very important if you want a happy marriage. Be yourself and show your real personality, this may be hard since most people want to impress by only showing their best selves. However, don’t try hard to please your partner. It is very risky to hide the real you, your partner have to know the real person they are to spend the rest of their lives with before they make that commitment.

Marriage is not about perfect people being matched together, getting to know each is still relevant. The courtship period, hence, requires practicality and honesty above all other factors. It should be a time for couples to set the right foundation for their future union.