Welcome to this week's episode of the series "Iranian Family". One of the important pillars of a healthy and cheerful community is family. Family resembles a living creature, which can turn into an inspiring source of effective energy, benefitting the individual and the community with its blessings.

A community without the foundation of family would be a chaotic society; within which the cultural and ideological legacies, and beliefs of generations are not easily transferred, and an appropriate upbringing of the members of the community does not take place. In other words, if there is no family within the society, the members of the community would not be competent, and ethical, and the transference of the positive, good, and valuable experiences of the previous generation to the next generation will not take place.

Hence, one should honor the status of family and should make every effort to maintain and reinforce the foundations of family.

Iranian families maintain an Islamic nature. In fact, Iranian families secure their solidity and efficiency with the usage of religious elements, and in return assist the continuation and reinforcement of religious concepts and culture. For instance, throughout wedding ceremonies, families convey religious culture to the next generation, while also using these ceremonies to boost bonds between relatives. Within the wedding ceremony, upon honoring the rich Islamic and Iranian culture; the values of the family are cemented and the status and basis of religion in the Iranian family and community is solidified.

Even among the non-religious families, one can observe focus on religion in sensitive situations. The happy faces of mothers and fathers, who are praying in their children's wedding ceremonies manifests the depth of familial relations, and the deep roots of religious culture which creates happiness, dynamism, and abundant energy in the process of reinvention of the family.

Focus on collective and social ceremonies is one of the capacities of Iranian family. In contrast to many cultures, in the Iranian culture, the wedding ceremonies, in addition to other events are coupled with especial formalities. These ceremonies are memorable for the family members and set the stage for convergence and revival of the familial roots. Iranian families are usually emotional. Marriage marks the agreement of a couple for starting a married life. In the wedding ceremony, the close relatives of the bride and groom present a number of gifts to the couple such as jewelry and gold coins.

At this point, we study the topic of importance of honesty in the relationship of spouses.

One of the main criteria for marriage among members of the community is the honesty of the would-be spouse. This is because the righteous people and those who are honest and trustworthy grant a sense of assurance and comfort to others. One of the main contributing factors for having a calm and cheerful life is having an honest spouse. Honesty and trustworthiness is one of the essentials for establishing and maintaining a close and healthy familial and emotional relationship. Being able to count on your spouse, grants you a sense of security; given that your spouse is honest toward you in all circumstances. If you live in a constant fear of your spouse lying to you for a number of reasons; you would never be able to achieve peace and calm in your relationship, and you will always face tension, doubt, and resentment.

Honesty maintains two important functions. Firstly, it makes it possible for the spouses to get on with each other, and secondly, it raises the opportunity for the couple to achieve happiness and prosperity. Honesty makes it possible for the spouses to discuss their misunderstandings and to resolve their disputes.

In fact, if we maintain an honest relationship with our spouse, we would be able to easily and comfortably share our thoughts, feelings, and concerns with them.

MR/ME