答案：

In Cambodia, the choice of a spouse is a complex one for the young male. It may involve not only his parents and his friends, as well as those of the young woman, but also a matchmaker. A young man can decide on a likely spouse on his own and then ask his parents to arrange the marriage negotiations, or the young man’s parents may make the choice of a spouse, giving the child little to say in the selection. In theory, a girl may veto the spouse her parents have chosen. After a spouse has been selected, each family investigates the other to make sure its child is marrying intoa good family.

The traditional wedding is a long and colorful affair. Formerly it lasted three days, but in the 1980s it more commonly lasted a day and a half. Buddhist priests offer a short sermon and recite prayers of blessing. Parts of the ceremony involve ritual hair cutting, tying cotton threads soaked in holy water around the bride’s and groom’s wrists, and passing a candle around a circle of happily married and respected couples to bless the union. Newlyweds traditionally move in with the wife’s parents and may live with them up to a year, until they can build a new house nearby.

Divorce is legal and easy to obtain, but not common. Divorced persons are viewedwith some disapproval. Each spouse retains whatever property he or she brought into the marriage, and jointly-acquired property is divided equally. Divorced persons may remarry, but a gender prejudice shows up: The divorced male doesn’t have a waiting period before he can remarry while the woman must wait ten months.