Welcome to this week's episode of the series "Iranian Family". Maintenance of love and admiration for one's family is much more important than any sort of wealth and privilege. Did you know that establishment of a bond between you and your family brings about mutual respect, happiness and joy for all familial members?

Love is one of the principles of family, which also plays a pivotal role in the survival and reinforcement of the foundations of families. In fact, it can be said that love and admiration for one's family shapes the familial spirit. On this basis, establishment of a family marks the beginning of the path toward development and progress.

Whenever human beings have been capable of living together in an appropriate manner, they have granted meaning to all domains of life. Goodness and badness, fortune or misfortune, and calmness and bitterness only have meanings within the framework of interactions and frictions among human beings. Individuals learn how to live in human community, and how to maintain peaceful coexistence with other human beings, through living in their families. Family can be defined as the initial and main core of any given community. According to thinkers and experts, one's family provides an appropriate ground for human upbringing, and one's socialization, while also granting a shelter to individuals at hard times. On the basis of this ethical and emotional bond, further importance is attached to sense of duty and responsibility in the relationship between spouses, motivating them to blend love with ethics and morality, thereby creating an appropriate atmosphere for the spiritual growth of children.

The Iranian thinker, Dr. Seyed Mostafa Mohaqqeq Damad, notes that the majority of terms used in regard to the relations of family members maintain ethical and emotional connotations. The fact of the matter is that marriage is not solely a legal agreement. It maintains emotional and ethical aspects, as well. Ancient philosophers paid attention to the pivotal and decisive role of emotions and morality in formation of families. The Iranian-Islamic genius, Avicenna, in one of his treatises, has presented a clear and transparent picture of an appropriate family for children's upbringing, which forms the basis for creation of a competent community. He believed that peace of mind is accomplished via marriage and establishment of one's family. He points out: Mankind, in order to protect and safeguard his assets for the rainy day, needs a house. In the meantime, one's spouse can play a very helpful role to this end.

Avicenna underlines that a good wife is the partner of her spouse at times of difficulty, protector of his assets, his successor at home, and his trustee in the upbringing and education of children. Hence, one should be grateful for having a family.

Now, let's once again focus on other wedding traditions among Iranian families.

It is early in the morning. Everyone is waking up. Bride's car, which has been decorated with flowers is parked outside the house. At the courtyard, where the wedding ceremony was held the night before; lamps are still on and plates of confectionary and fruits can still be seen on the tables and chairs, reminding everyone of the memorable wedding ceremony, held last night. Groom's father, in the company of a number of others, is cleaning up the house. The day after the wedding ceremony, members of the family and relatives present their gifts to the bride. Throughout the recent years, the majority of wedding guests present their gifts on the wedding night. The last stage in the wedding ceremony of Iranian families is to visit the bride's mother. The bride's mother invites the groom's family. In this visit, the groom presents a gift to his mother-in-law, thanking her for appropriately bringing up the bride.

In the view of psychologists; whenever spouses sense that the stage is set for emergence of disputes, they should make use of their skills to once again grant warmth to their married life.

In the meantime, some activities reinforce your emotional bond with your spouse. Hence, you should include these activities in your schedule to further improve and optimize your married life. You can go on a number of journeys with your spouse, discovering new places. Cook your spouse's favorite dishes. Go on walks and visit waterfalls. Go on adventures. Visit scenic landscapes that you have never seen before. And most importantly, do not forget to talk with each other.

MR/ME