More Than Just A Marriage by Eden Monroe

 

For details and purchase information visit Eden Monroe's BWL Author Page

Today our romantic notion of marriage is much different in many ways than it once was. The institution of marriage is actually more than 4,000 years old with the first such ceremony of record, taking place in 2,350 BC in Mesopotamia according to The Week.

In many parts of the world the purpose of getting married was more in the nature of a transaction intended to serve as an alliance between two families for their mutual benefit. (Brides.com) That’s why the tradition of arranged marriages is still practiced in some cultures. Love actually has little to do with it at the outset, financial security is the driving force behind the liaison and although dowries are no longer part of the system in many of these instances, they remain a vital part of the arrangement in others.

And of course throughout the world there are several types of unions … outside of the ones we’re most familiar with such as monogamy, which is marrying one person at a time and polygamy - marrying more than one spouse (husband or wife) at the same time. Endogamy is the tradition of marrying only within the limits of a local community; exogamy is marrying outside the tribe or clan, polyandry is when women have more than one husband and polygyny - a man having more than one wife.

Marriage is usually a pretty straight-forward affair, but sometimes it arises under unusual circumstances, as in the romantic suspense novel When Fate Comes Calling, Book One of the Emerald Valley Ranch series:

Jessica’s deep brown eyes were doing some sparking of their own. “Of course I do! I will love him, brush him, bring him treats.”

 

Kane stopped a foot or two in front of where she sat. “Oh my G… listen to yourself! He’s not some Christmas pony. Savero would be a handful for the best of riders.”

Jessica leaned back and folded her arms firmly across her chest defiantly. “And that, would be you probably, would it? Well you can save your breath, Mr. Davidson. Your father gave me that horse and I’m keeping him. That’s the end of it.”

The lawyer was finally able to get their attention. “Not quite. Innis did make a suggestion in the event of any … um … disagreement. He indicated that there is a possibility of the horse remaining at Emerald Valley with a fifty-fifty ownership.”

“I’m listening.” Kane dropped back into his chair with what seemed to be renewed hope, although she was very certain he wouldn’t want to share ownership of the horse with her under any circumstances. “What’s the catch?”

Winslow looked from Kane to Jessica. “The catch, as you put it, Kane, is that to make that happen you and Jessica have to get married.”

Just as there are sometimes uncommon circumstances that lead to the tying of the knot, there are equally unusual customs undertaken at the ceremony itself (or sometimes a pre-wedding activity), all created it seems for the ultimate wellbeing of the couple themselves. In some countries these may still be practiced, in other countries perhaps not as much. In the “Highlands, Islands and rural bits of Scotland” there is the blackening of the bride and groom, when things such as mud, rotten food, fish guts, cow dung and feathers (“anything goes says orshopskye-journal.co.uk/) are thrown at the happy couple. The idea is that they’d be prepared for whatever may lie ahead in their married life. A Celtic ritual also still followed in Scotland is handfasting, the tying together of the bride and groom (by the hand, usually with a ribbon) during the ceremony itself.

Also according to miragenews.com, in German tradition the bride and groom saw through a log together, witnessed by the wedding guests. The rationale is that by doing this, the two prove they can work as a team to overcome obstacles they will face in married life. In Roma culture, the bride of choice is kidnapped by the prospective groom and then taken home with him. Negotiations with the bride’s family for her hand then ensue with the ideal outcome being a wedding ceremony. There is also the pre-wedding practice of blackening the groom.

Jumping the broom symbolizes a couple entering a new life together in African-American culture, as well as paying homage to their ancestors. In the Indonesian community of Tidong, a wedding couple is covered with a mixture of rice, flour and ash and then denied bathroom privileges for three nights (I assume just for washing up). The challenge is designed to allow them to experience this difficult situation together, believing it will make their relationship stronger as they begin their new life as man and wife.

For prosperity and luck in Kenya’s Maasai culture, the bride’s father spits on her head and chest before she leaves his home for good to be with her new husband.

 

Maasai bridal headband

         In Sweden male wedding guests are allowed to kiss the bride if the groom leaves the room and vice versa, all in the spirit of fun. The stealing of the groom’s shoes is a popular wedding tradition in India, and he must then bargain with the bride’s sisters and female cousins to get them back. In Greece there is plate smashing by the wedding guests to ward off evil spirits and bring the newlyweds (who clean them up) good luck, and if you’re a groom in South Korea, you’ve got a sound foot beating to look forward to – all done in good humour.

As for wedding cakes, that tradition began thousands of years ago too. In Roman times, grains of wheat in the form of cake crumbs were thrown at a newly married couple as a symbol of fertility, and the couple would eat them as a sign of unity.

The actual tradition of a wedding ring dates back 3,000 years when a couple in Egypt exchanged rings made of hemp or reed. According to stevengdesigns,com, in Rome and Greece in that same time frame, wedding rings could also be made of either bone, ivory or leather. Wealthy people opted for gold and silver … even iron.

Next comes the honeymoon and that’s also an ancient tradition. The name originated in Scandinavia. It takes place during the first month of marriage, which was measured by one moon cycle. While together for that time the newlyweds drank fermented honey (mead) to encourage conception.

Today honeymoons are celebrated much differently, with many choosing exotic destinations all over the world. Ideally all goes well, but could the couple’s choice of venue for that idyllic time together affect the outcome of their marriage? Most people would probably say no, but forbes.com offers a list of honeymoon destinations that are most likely to end in divorce. The Maldives top the list with a 20% eventual divorce rate, followed closely behind by Marrakesh, Morocco at 17%. At the bottom of the list, and therefore perhaps an indicator of the best marital success, there are four choices: Bangkok, Thailand, Napa Valley, California, Maui, Hawaii, or Nairobi, Kenya. The divorce rate following honeymoons in these destinations is a more palatable 1%. 

The countries in the world that have the easiest divorce procedures, according to advokatsmart.no, are Norway, Slovenia, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and Argentina. The most complex? Pakistan, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt and Jordan.

So in the unfortunate event that a marriage does not work out, apparently there’s no need now to sit home with the blues. If you have the means and circumstances to allow it, many top vacation spots now offer luxurious divorce packages for the “suddenly single”. A simple search found 40 sites (I stopped there) dedicated to the subject, as the trend continues to gain momentum.

The shortest marriage on record to date is two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. The longest (although not officially recognized) is for a couple originally from India, later relocating to the UK (both lived well past the age of a hundred) who were married for ninety years and 291 days. That’s a granite anniversary by the way. Solid as a rock.

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/monroe-eden/

 

 

BELLE CANADIENNE, an excerpt

        

Fly Away Snow Goose, NWT

                                                                          Amazon

                                                                            Kobo

                                                                     Barnes & Noble

   

    Here is the first page of Belle Canadienne,  a new entry for the Province of Quebec 

in the Canadian Historical Brides series. Coming this year.

    Jeanne reached the top of the stairs. Her day had begun early and she was bone tired. 

Hefting the basket of fish she'd bargained for on the quay, she caught her breath. Although

she ought to hurry on to the fishmarket, bustling just above the quay, she stepped to one side, 

set down her basket of quivering silver, and turned back to face into the wind. 

       There was the cruel, blue-gray sea!

Gulls tumbled through the air above her head. Bolder ones began to land, shrieking and quarreling. Thieving beggars that they were, a few edged close to her basket. She knew it was risky to be abstractedhere; the fish had cost more than expected and she didn't want to lose any of them to these feathered free-loaders. Still, she took a minute to gaze out at the swells, coming in so steadily now, frothy manes tossing.

Five years ago, Pierre Dube, her young husband, had signed onto a ship that had sailed to the great northern fishing grounds that lay ever so far away west, across the dark Atlantic. Her father's words had proved prophetic, and events had unfolded exactly as he had warned Jeanne when she'd chosen to marry a sailor instead of one of those Saintonge cousins, the kind who (literally) kept their feet on the ground, working the profitable--and safe--salt farms.

Pierre's first voyage to the New World was also his last. According to another ship in their small fishing fleet, it had last been seen dodging through a maze of fog and ice bergs. 

Hard to believe that eight years had passed since Jeanne had left her home in The Saintonge and come to live with Pierre's his family in the port of La Rochelle, a thriving city that had once seemed so full of excitement and promise. For a few bright years, she'd been a wife and then a mother, but now she was neither, just another sorrowing widow.

As if losing her husband had not been sufficiently cruel, her fine, active little Michel had died last autumn. He'd followed older boys out onto the rocks and had been swept away by a rogue wave. A few days later, during a lull in the autumn gales, his small broken body had been found just a few miles down the coast, .

Remembering this, she felt the familiar pain in her chest, the terrible ache that would never go away. Jeanne managed to stifle a sob, but she was unable to hold back the hot sting of tears which went coursing down her cheeks. Not wanting anyone to see her, she wiped them away fiercely with the fishy apron.

 "Ha! Get! You dirty thieves!"

Startled by the shout, Jeanne spun around only to discover that the boldest of the gulls had snatched one of her fish. If it hadn't been for her sister-in-law, Sylvine, now rushing forward, waving her arms, the gull would have had his prize. Fortunately for Jeanne, the greedy pest had chosen such a heavy fish that he couldn't easily fly off with it.

Wielding a stick, Sylvine struck the bird as it stumbled along the quay, knocking free his prize. The gull flew up, releasing his displeasure in a splatter of white. The fish tumbled at her feet, all quivering silver.

"Get, you greedy bastards!"

Arms wide, Jeanne joined in, stamping and yelling, scattering the feathered pirates, who arose in a cloud of shrieking protest. 

"Staring out to sea again?" Her sister-in-law's tone, her grim expression, spoke volumes.

There is nothing for you among those waves. Trust me, sister! I know.

~~ Juliet Waldron

(For KFB) 

A Gift to My Readers---A Flash Fiction Story By Connie Vines #Free Read #Sweet Romance, #Warm Wishes and Gingerbread Kisses, #Flash Fiction

 A Holiday Gift to My Readers 

 

©Warm Wishes and Gingerbread Kisses

By © Connie Vines

He always ordered a slice of gingerbread and black coffee. Hearing his voice through the headset made my morning, which was why I volunteered to work the drive-thru.

Was it his southern drawl, his friendly smile, or the way G.B., the Irish setter, rested his chin on Mason's shoulder so adoringly that won me over? I'm not sure. I only know I developed an impossible-to-hide-crush.

Mason finally asked me out, and now we're engaged.

We're perfect together, like hot chocolate with whipped cream or gingerbread cookies and milk.

We are planning a small winter wedding. Our family organized a potluck reception. My dad will walk me down the aisle of the church. And G.B. (AKA Gingerbread Boy) is excited to be our ring bearer. 

I hope you enjoyed my Flash Fiction Story. 

🎅🎄🎁

Happy Holidays!

XOXO

Connie Vines

Remember: 

All of my books are on sale! 

75% off until Jan. 1,2024

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vinesbwl

Where's Connie?

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

https://mizging.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorConnieVines/

https://connievines-author.com/

Is there an “X” conspiracy? The signs are here, but what does it all mean? – by Vijaya Schartz

Find these and many other novels of mine on the BWL site HERE

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, only a curious writer, whose creative mind notices clues and patterns. I’m always looking for fresh angles and new stories everywhere, and lately, I can’t help but notice the proliferation of “X” in everyday American lives. Is the X part of a secret equation? X = ?

 

It started years ago with the “X” Files, “The truth is out there.” Ominous, but not so far from reality, since in recent years, many governments around the world have opened up about an alien presence in our skies, and a few even claim to have reverse-engineered some alien technology.

As a result, more and more NASA and other astronauts, as well as Air Force and commercial pilots, are opening up about what they saw in space and in our skies. The US government finally admitted to the existence of Area 51, and briefed Congress about UAPs (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena), in 2023, in a secret session, which somehow leaked to the press, and contained military footage of UFO encounters.

Recently, we’ve seen Twitter become “X” under Elon Musk’s new ownership. Why? The symbol is ugly and gives me the shudders. Not a very good marketing move. The man also owns SPACE”X”. Is he signaling that Generation X is taking over the reins of technology? Or is there an X-File alien technology connection? Musk has also been accused of endorsing antisemitic posts on X, causing many advertisers to leave the platform. X was also accused of favoring white supremacist groups. Coincidence?

  

Many other companies in recent ads are prominently displaying the “X” factor. From pharmaceutical labs, AnolonX, AreXvy, or media companies like “X”finity internet or manufacturers like the X-chair, and TV shows like the X-Files and the UneXplained.

Celebrity X cruises displays an X that is not part of their name. When the public suggested it meant X-rated cruises for adults, their official rebuttal was: The big “X” on the funnel of the cruise ships represents the Greek letter chi for “Chandris.” Maybe it does… then again… maybe it means something else.

Conspiracy X is an RPG (Role Playing Game) based upon a secret invasion of Earth by aliens insidiously taking over the world. It is set in a world of dark secrets and hidden agendas where nothing is what it seems.

According to others, Disease X is the next pandemic.

Are we facing a new generation of X-men identifying themselves to each other? Or is there a secret “X” society manipulating governments toward an unknown destiny? It wouldn’t be so farfetched, since secret societies have been running the world from the shadows for millennia.

I guess we will find out… eventually, if we live long enough. In the meantime, I’ll keep watching for clues.  

My novels are full of intergalactic conspiracies, villains, strong heroines, brave heroes, and cats. Find them here:

amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Happy reading!

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Research is fun—Tricia McGill

Find this and all my other books here

My latest book to be released in January is set in Tasmania, or to use the fond name for this delightful island just off the coast of my home state Victoria, The Apple Isle. My hubby and I almost settled there years ago, but it was not to be, for job opportunities for him were scarce there back in the 70s. As luck would have it, I have spent many happy holidays over there and I have a friend of many years who lives there. 

A Troubled Heart is set in the Tasmania of the 1840s (Van Diemen’s Land as it was then), a far different place to that of today. Finn, my hero, spent years in the notorious convict prison at Port Arthur and when driving around this area today it is difficult to believe that such horrible confinement and unthinkable treatment took place there. The Government of the day considered it a perfect setting for a prison as the only road out to gain access to the rest of the island was via Eaglehawk Neck, just 30 metres wide and guarded by armed soldiers rumoured to have half starved dogs with them. Anyone who tried their luck in the sea bypassing this neck would stand a good chance of being eaten by sharks.

Hobart and then Launceston were settled well before it was decided that Melbourne would be a fine place to start another town. In 1835 John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner left Launceston in separate expeditions to launch the first settlement at Port Phillip which developed into Melbourne, Victoria’s capital city.