Why do people in subcontinent marry cousins?

[Pakistani_Athiest]

I said subcontinent, not India not Pakistan. So please answer my question. I think that its a prevalent practice in India to marry their mom's brother's kids. I think in Pakistan too such marriages are permitted, coz one of my friends got married that way last year. I did not ask him about this coz he'll probably be offended.

In US, this thing is called in-breeding and the kids generally have a lower level of IQ. So why do people do that? :O Cultural thing or religion thing?

 

[FreekiN]

Why do people in subcontinent marry cousins?

Stupid aspect of our culture.

Arranged marriages always lead up to this in a lot of cases. When the parents cannot find a wife for their son, they end up looking closer and closer for a rishta and end up asking their cousins.

I hate this because I have seen so many ...umm... 'special' children as a result of inbreeding.

They need to be educated that inbreeding is dangerous.

 

[Omar1984]

Not only people of the subcontinent. Its common among people of Central Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, and the royal family in UK especially in the old days.

 

[Pakistani_Athiest]

Stupid aspect of our culture.

Arranged marriages always lead up to this in a lot of cases. When the parents cannot find a wife for their son, they end up looking closer and closer for a rishta and end up asking their cousins.

I hate this because I have seen so many ...umm... 'special' children as a result of inbreeding.

They need to be educated that inbreeding is dangerous.

So they basically inbreed if there are no other 'options'? More like a failsafe?

 

[Ruag]

I said subcontinent, not India not Pakistan. So please answer my question. I think that its a prevalent practice in India to marry their mom's brother's kids. I think in Pakistan too such marriages are permitted, coz one of my friends got married that way last year. I did not ask him about this coz he'll probably be offended.

In US, this thing is called in-breeding and the kids generally have a lower level of IQ. So why do people do that? :O Cultural thing or religion thing?

Forget cousins. In my community, people are prohibited from marrying anyone from their own gotra (lineage or clan). This is so because we consider people from the same gotra to be siblings. As far as I know, this practice is common among all north Indian Hindu Kshatriya, Vaisya and Brahmin communities. Some might argue that this system is mostly patriarchal and that marriages between cousins from the mother's side is allowed. This might be true in southern India, but the system is far more regulated in north India at least.

Therefore, you should have been more specific while forming that question. Marrying your cousins is a huge taboo for a quite a few Hindus (especially in North India) and I (rightfully) take offense to your question.

 

[Pakistani_Athiest]

Not only people of the subcontinent. Its common among people of Central Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, and the royal family in UK especially in the old days.

Interesting. With Royalty, I think it's done so that the wealth remains 'within the circle'.

 

[jbond197]

Forget cousins. In my community, people are prohibited from marrying anyone from their own gotra (lineage or clan). This is so because we consider people from the same gotra to be siblings. As far as I know, this practice is common among all north Indian Hindu Kshatriya, Vaisya and Brahmin communities.

Therefore, you should have been more specific while forming that question. Marrying your cousins is a huge taboo for a quite a few Hindus (especially in North India) and I (rightfully) take offense to your question.

More over, for Hindus Cousin marriage is illegal under the 1955 Hindu Marriage Act.

 

[Hammy007]

the cousin marriage is a big mistake, the children born from them may carry heredity diseases.

 

[DesiGuy]

Forget cousins. In my community, people are prohibited from marrying anyone from their own gotra (lineage or clan). This is so because we consider people from the same gotra to be siblings. As far as I know, this practice is common among all north Indian Hindu Kshatriya, Vaisya and Brahmin communities.
Therefore, you should have been more specific while forming that question. Marrying your cousins is a huge taboo for a quite a few Hindus (especially in North India) and I (rightfully) take offense to your question.

Are you nuts or what?

who told you that??

i am punjabi brahmin and i have not seen single case in my family or relatives where they marry their cousins.

my parents wouldn't even let me marry to any other caste, forget about marrying cousins.

 

[yuba]

Forget cousins. In my community, people are prohibited from marrying anyone from their own gotra (lineage or clan). This is so because we consider people from the same gotra to be siblings. As far as I know, this practice is common among all north Indian Hindu Kshatriya, Vaisya and Brahmin communities.

Therefore, you should have been more specific while forming that question. Marrying your cousins is a huge taboo for a quite a few Hindus (especially in North India) and I (rightfully) take offense to your question.

its the same for sikhs we consider our cousins as our brothers and sisters nor do we marry from our village or our mothers village

 

[Ruag]

Are you nuts or what?

who told you that??

i am punjabi brahmin and i have not seen single case in my family or relatives where they marry their cousins.

my parents wouldn't even let me marry to any other caste, forget about marrying cousins.

Dude, read my comment again. This time, in entirety.

 

[EagleEyes]

How would it effect the children (cousins) if they are from the female (sisters)?

Somebody enlighten me.. two females would carry 2 different sperms.

 

[DesiGuy]

Dude, read my comment again. This time, in entirety.

I did.


you said "As far as I know, this practice is common among all north Indian Hindu Kshatriya, Vaisya and Brahmin communities."

That means you don't know enought.

i am punjabi brahmin from Punjab. And that is not common in their.

 

[jbond197]

Are you nuts or what?

who told you that??

i am punjabi brahmin and i have not seen single case in my family or relatives where they marry their cousins.

my parents wouldn't even let me marry to any other caste, forget about marrying cousins.

You got him wrong, Dude! he meant the same read his comments again..

 

[DesiGuy]

Dude, read my comment again. This time, in entirety.

And by the way, you are wrong about north.


According to wiki:


"But in south India it is common for Hindu cross cousins to marry, with matrilateral cross-cousin (mother's brother's daughter) marriages being especially favored."