Despite the jokes about mail order brides they are serious business in some countries, particularly Russia, but no longer in Taiwan. They have put an end to “brokering of international marriages, mostly involving local men and Chinese or South-east Asian women, in a bid to improve its image and reduce fraud, the immigration agency said.” Taiwan bans mail-order brides
The practice still thrives in Russia and I learned more about it at a party last year in one of the wealthiest communities in Massachusetts. As we exhanged stories about “where we met our husbands and lovers, one wife was notably silent. “Another glass of champagne, my dear?” And she bubbled over with her story of being a mail-order bride from Russia, which we had all suspected was the case with Svetlana.
To strengthen a religious sect: But what I found most surprising was learning that a small devote community was using mail-order brides to continue their sect.
Reporting for Reuters, Tom Heneghan said, “Guardians of an ancient faith with a cameo role in the Bible, the 750 surviving followers of the Samaritan religion are using surprisingly modern methods to keep their tiny community alive.
“Internet acquaintances, mail-order brides and pre-nuptial genetic tests have all become familiar to Samaritans trying to plan future generations despite a shortage of young women within their own tight-knit community.
“To show this can work, Sadaqa called for his Ukrainian daughter-in-law Shura to come meet the visiting Reuters journalists.
“‘She is more observant than many Samaritans,'” he boasted. “‘There is an office in Tel Aviv that encourages youths to have wives from other nationalities. I sent my son to that office’.”
Want to become a mail order bride? For those interested here is a link from eHow Become a mail-order bride.html
Despite the seriousness of the mail order bride business, Crylstal Air Productions did a satire recently titled Obama Brings Mail-Order Brides Home From Russia
In some ways, however, if one’s culture and values are similar, people can learn to grow in love as Svetlana explained to us. But she confessed that it wasn’t until their first child was born that she and her husband found a true common bond.
Copyright 2009 Rita Watson