Cross-Cultural Marriage : All you need to know

People usually wonder what it's like for couple to have different cultural backgrounds.

Perhaps you have found that special partner, your charming prince/princess, the person you would love to spend the rest of your life with but you are both from different cultural backgrounds, then, this article is for you.

To really understand this article, let's explain culture itself.

Culture is "learned" and socially transmitted behaviors and norms found in human societies. Culture is transmitted from one generation to another.

Cultures are greatly influenced through dealings between societies, which may led to  social changes in cultural practices.

Basic elements of culture are :

• Language
•Values
• Norms
• Beliefs
• Symbol
• Cognitive element


Language : This is the means of communication and a means to convey information from one individual to another. Language varies from culture to culture and it is passed from one generation to another. Language is the base of culture, it is the basic element of culture and it is also a vital part of culture.

Values : Whatever is becoming significant in our daily activities is referred to as value. In most cases, children acquire the knowledge of value from their parents, in this manner, society value passes from one generation to the other.

Norms : Norms are set of rules and regulations that defines the behavior of an individual. It gives us limitation about what to do and what not to do. It shapes our behavior and inform us about the bad and good manners.

Beliefs : Beliefs are the mental representation of an attitude positively oriented towards the likelihood of some thing being true. A belief is an idea which one accept as being real, it is an idea that one usually hold with importance and conviction. Different culture usually have different beliefs which in most cases serve as a means of inspiration in the society.

Symbol : This could mean a word, action or mark that represents or signifies an idea, situation, relationship or object. For instance, people kneels to show respect to elders in some culture, some only shake hands, some usually stand, some others bow their head and so on. Importance of symbol may differ from one culture to the other. We often use symbols to guide our behavior in the society.

Cognitive element : This deals with how people understands the world and acts in it. It is the group of mental processes that are part of closely every day to day human action. This has to do with problem-solving skills, which is usually acquired from parents.


I would also like to inform you that "food" might not be one of the basic elements of culture but it is a kind of unique symbol in every culture.

• Food is well connected to culture, we all grow up eating the food of our particular culture. We usually crave our cultural food, believing we could only get satisfaction from our cultural food.

Food is an integral part of culture. Traditional cuisine is passed down from generation to generation, it also offer a culture a unique identity.


The connection between culture and marriage cannot be underemphasized, however, considering the above explanation on culture, we can see that  culture could be learned, changed (from era to era), shared and transmitted.


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Even though culture differs from society to society, culture is still dynamic and not static. Therefore, if you are considering a cross-cultural marriage, the basic question for you is - Are you ready to learn? After learning,  are you ready to put what you have learned into practice when necessary?

If YES, cross-cultural marriage shouldn't be a problem.


•Communication with your partner is so important, it is therefore necessary for the two of you to have great level of fluency in a common language ( Lingua Franca ), it is necessary that the close relatives could speak this common language also.

If communication is out of it, other things could be learned but you need to start learning before marriage so as to know if it will be possible for you to adjust to your partner's culture.

Learning here shouldn't be one-sided, it should be the responsibility of both parties. You are both going to work on your differences.


• If you know you won't be able to learn or you would find it difficult to put what you have learned into practice when necessary, it is better to stick to a partner from your own cultural background.


If you are someone that would love to learn and you put other factors that should be considered in marriage into consideration before going into the marriage e.g same social-class, good support, trust, care and commitment between the two of you, then, you are likely going to find cross-cultural marriage INTERESTING.


Related : Social class in marriage : Does it really matter?

The ideal age gap for a lasting marriage

Genotype : types and compatibility

Rhesus factor and incompatibility : What you need to know