Marriage

===Hinduism===
{{Main|Marriage in Hinduism}}
[[File:Hindu marriage ceremony offering.jpg|thumb|Hindu marriage ceremony from a [[Rajput]] wedding]]
[[File:Bride Groom NP.JPG|thumb|A Nepali Hindu couple in marriage ceremony]]

[[Hinduism]] regards ''Vivāha'' or ''Biye'' (marriage) to be a sacred duty that entails both religious and social obligations. It is regarded to be an important [[Samskara (rite of passage)|''samskara'']], or a rite of passage.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=CN Shankar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jDscEAAAQBAJ&dq=vivaha+samskara&pg=PA363 |title=Sociology |date=2012 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-81-219-1036-1 |page=363 |language=en}}</ref> [[Hindu texts]] describe four [[Puruṣārtha|''purusharthas'']] (goals of existence): ''[[dharma]]'' (righteousness), ''[[artha]]'' (wealth), ''[[kama]]'' (desire), and ''[[moksha]]'' (liberation). The purpose of the marriage ''samskara'' is to fulfill the goal of ''kama'', allowing an adherent to gradually advance towards the attainment of ''moksha''. The [[Manusmriti]] describes many different types of marriages and their categorisation, ranging from the [[Gandharva marriage|''gandharva vivaha'']]<ref name="Banerjee 86">{{Cite book |last=Banerjee |first=Gooroodass |title=The Hindu Law of Marriage and Stridhan |page=86}}</ref> (a consensual marriage of love between a man and a woman without the performance of rituals or witnesses) to the [[Rakshasa marriage|''rakshasa vivaha'']]<ref name="Banerjee 86"/> (a "demoniac" marriage, performed by abduction of one participant by the other participant, usually, but not always, with the help of other persons). In the [[Indian subcontinent]], [[arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent|arranged marriages]], in which the spouse's parents or an older family member choose the partner, are still predominant in comparison with [[love marriage]]s in the contemporary period. The [[Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856|Hindu Widow's Remarriage Act 1856]] empowers a Hindu widow to remarry.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-20|title=What is The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856?|url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/hindu-widows-remarriage-act-1856-1563262916-1|access-date=2021-05-18|website=Jagranjosh.com}}</ref>