Marriage is a governmentally, socially, or religiously
recognized interpersonal relationship, usually intimate and sexual, and often
created as a contract.[1] The most frequently occuring form of marriage is
between a woman and a man, where the feminine term wife and the masculine
husband may be used to describe them.[2][3] Other forms of marriage also exist.
For example, polygamy, in which a person takes more than one spouse, is present
in many societies' traditions.[4] Also, beginning in 2001, the legal concept of
marriage has been expanded to include same-sex marriage in some areas.[5]
The reasons people marry vary widely, usually including: the public declaration
of love, the formation of a family unit, legitimizing sexual relations and
procreation, social and economic stability, and the education and nurturing of
children.[6][7]
A marriage can be declared by a wedding ceremony,[8] which may be performed
either by a religious officiator or through a similar government-sanctioned
secular process. The act of marriage often creates obligations between the
individuals involved, and in many societies their extended families [citation
needed]. Marriages are perpetual agreements with legal consequences, terminated
only by the death of one party or by formal dissolution processes such as
divorce and annulment.
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