Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturallyrecognised union between people, called spouses, that establishesrights and obligations between them, as well as between them andtheir children, and between them and their in-laws.[1] Thedefinition of marriage varies around the world, not only betweencultures and between religions, but also throughout the history ofany given culture and religion. Over time, it has expanded and alsoconstricted in terms of who and what is encompassed. Typically, itis an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usuallysexual, are acknowledged or sanctioned. In some cultures, marriageis recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing anysexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered acultural universal. A marriage ceremony is called a wedding.Individuals may marry for several reasons, including legal, social,libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious purposes.Whom they marry may be influenced by gender, socially determinedrules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice andindividual desire. In some areas of the world, arranged marriage,child marriage, polygamy, and sometimes forced marriage, may bepracticed as a cultural tradition. Conversely, such practices maybe outlawed and penalized in parts of the world out of concernsregarding the infringement of women's rights, or the infringementof children's rights (both female and male), and because ofinternational law.[2] Around the world, primarily in developeddemocracies, there has been a general trend towards ensuring equalrights for women within marriage and legally recognizing themarriages of interfaith, interracial, and same-sex couples. Thesetrends coincide with the broader human rights movement. Marriagecan be recognized by a state, an organization, a religiousauthority, a tribal group, a local community, or peers. It is oftenviewed as a contract. When a marriage is performed and carried outby a government institution in accordance with the marriage laws ofthe jurisdiction, without religious content, it is a civilmarriage. Civil marriage recognizes and creates the rights andobligations intrinsic to matrimony in the eyes of the state. When amarriage is performed with religious content under the auspices ofa religious institution, it is a religious marriage. Religiousmarriage recognizes and creates the rights and obligationsintrinsic to matrimony in the eyes of that religion. Religiousmarriage is known variously as sacramental marriage in Catholicism,nikah in Islam, nissuin in Judaism, and various other names inother faith traditions, each with their own constraints as to whatconstitutes, and who can enter into, a valid religious marriage.Some countries do not recognize locally performed religiousmarriage on its own, and require a separate civil marriage forofficial purposes. Conversely, civil marriage does not exist insome countries governed by a religious legal system, such as SaudiArabia, where marriages contracted abroad might not be recognizedif they were contracted contrary to Saudi interpretations ofIslamic religious law. In countries governed by a mixedsecular-religious legal system, such as Lebanon and Israel, locallyperformed civil marriage does not exist within the country, whichprevents interfaith and various other marriages that contradictreligious laws from being entered into in the country; however,civil marriages performed abroad may be recognized by the stateeven if they conflict with religious laws. For example, in the caseof recognition of marriage in Israel, this includes recognition ofnot only interfaith civil marriages performed abroad, but alsooverseas same-sex civil marriages. This app is about history andfor research Purpose .