Legally, marriage is a form of contract. It's a special contract, but that's essentially what it is. Because of that contract, the government is willing to enforce certain benefits, rights and privileges.
You are welcome to attribute any further meaning to your marriage beyond that. Most people do it seems. However, specifically what the law describes it as, it's a form of relationship contract.
What does joining together mean?
Marriage.Traditionally, marriage took place through an arrangement made for children by adults when the two Children were young. Since the rigors of life could not guarantee the eventual joining of these individuals, it was not uncommon for parents to create such an arrangement just prior to the marriage. Men usually moved to the village of the wife's parents. The duration of this depended on the social position and economic circumstances of the two families and on the overall availability of either eligible males or females. Polygamous unions existed, and there could be unions that represented significant age differences between the partners.
Marriage and family - Baffinland Inuit
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