kyrimis at alumni.princeton.edu
Fri Oct 3 09:12:41 CEST 2008
> the widespread
> (though not universal) ban on first cousin marriages is actually harsh
> compared to european standards. So the real question is, what do the
> greeks have up their arse?
I don't know for certain, but I would be surprised if marriage between first
cousins is allowed in Greece, either.
In any case, the reasons for same sibling marriages not being allowed, unless
done at the same time, are not legal, but religious, and the law simply
codifies what religion/tradition dictates. Part of the Greek orthodox marriage
ceremony (which, until relatively recently, was the only kind of marriage
recognized in Greece, if you were a Greek orthodox) states that "the two will
become one flesh", and this is interpreted literally, rather than as a
euphemism for sex. If you become "one flesh" with your spouse, then their
siblings obviously become your siblings, so your siblings can't marry them.
This "one flesh" interpretation has other consequences as well. If two spouses
have children from previous marriages, then these children cannot marry, and,
even weirder, the divorced/widowed parents of two spouses cannot marry, either!
"If you are going to interfere in my life again, the least you can do is
get a decent phone line!"
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