DEAR ABBY: For many years I have regarded your column as a neutral observer of human problems. One recurring topic that appears concerns "giving the bride away" at a wedding ceremony. The custom exists worldwide in various ethnic groups.
Historically the custom is based on the centuries-old concept of a woman (daughter) being the property or chattel of the male head of the family (father). It precedes even Biblical practices.
In our contemporary strides for gender equality, the practice hardly seems necessary at a wedding. In all states, a man and a woman enter into a contractual union essentially and legally based on their individual free-will choice. They give themselves to each other. It's not a matter of giving away a female piece of property.
In 16 years I performed more than 25,000 civil ceremonies for couples from 50 states and 81 countries. I rarely permitted the giving away of a bride, making exceptions based on foreign practices. To me, the "giving away" was similar to selling a piece of real estate. I could not, and do not, accept the practice among contemporary brides born in the U.S.A. -- "MARRYIN' SAM" FROM NEVADA
DEAR "MARRYIN' SAM": Your letter is sure to raise the eyebrows of many brides-to-be, although it may not diminish their desire to be "given in marriage" by their fathers. Although the contemporary bride in reality gives herself to her husband, one look through a bridal magazine should be a clue to how she clings to tradition.