ABSTRACT
Marriage is also an initiation, but its complicated ceremonial is concerned chiefly with laying the concrete foundations of the social structure. It is not easy to appreciate the immense implications of marriage among the Lovedu. Mate selection in its ideal form is socially regulated, and the ideal form is the basic pattern of all marriages. In a really orthodox marriage among the Lovedu there is a religious ceremony. The final stage of the marriage ceremonial consists of several successive steps lasting a month or longer. The sexual aspect of marriage is treated with great moderation. It is an attitude inculcated by the immense marriage ceremonial, and it must be understood in its total complex within the social structure. The marriage is desirable, not enjoined by the society, when it is known that the sisters will co-operate and care for each other's children. The economic aspect of marriage is more important than the sexual.
