ladies, would you propose?

[Gaasira]

In some parts of Somalia, a woman would go and sit in front of the house of the man whom she desired to marry. It’s considered a cultural faux pas to return such a woman to her family unmarried. So, the idea of a woman proposing is not outside the norms of the Somali culture. A ring and a man bending on one knee is very much alien to our culture, although most people have adapted the wedding ring these days, probably for good reasons (it serves a good purpose in a society where married people are recognized by the ring they wear). Besides, if you talk to most Somalis who are/were married, they will likely tell you that there was no proposal to speak of. The decision to marry is often as a result of a discussion, which ends in a mutual agreement. Rather dull, but practical.

[Strawberry_Xu]

Originally posted by Gaasira:

The decision to marry is often as a result of a discussion, which ends in a mutual agreement. Rather dull, but practical.

Yes I agree. It's romantic to be surprised by choking on a ring that was buried into your dessert. But I wouldn't want the proposal to be the first time the discussion of marriage occurs. Like Gaasira said, it's more practical to see if you're compatible on various issues such as money, kids, work and where you want to live. I wouldn't want the guy to spend a fortune on a ring (as he should ), and then find out that you don't want to get married.

 

I wouldn't propose, but I wouldn't want him to either. I think proposals should be discussions, which also avoids the issue of rejection in the middle of a restaurant or something.

 

Besides, then you can go shopping for an engagement ring together and pick something you will really like. Because let's face, you can't really trust a man's opinion on women's jewellery