Matchmaking

Matchmakingis the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose ofmarriage,in which case the matchmaker is also known as amarriage broker.

The term is also used in the context of orher analogous pairing activities, such as with sporting events such as boxing, in business,online video gamesand in pairingorgan donors.

Practice

Traditional matchmaking is a usual folk program in Russian museums.

In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalised. TheAshkenaziJewishshadchan,or theHindu astrologer,were often thought to be essential advisors and also helped in finding right spouses as they had links and a relation of good faith with the families. In cultures wherearranged marriageswere the rule, theastrologerused stars to sanctify matches that both parents approved of.^{[citation needed]}Tarot divinationhas also been employed by some matchmakers.^{[citation needed]}

Social dance,especially in frontier North America, thecontra danceandsquare dance,has also been employed in matchmaking, usually informally. However, when farming families were widely separated and kept all children on the farm working, marriage-age children could often only meet in church or in such mandated social events. Matchmakers, acting as formalchaperonesor as self-employed "busybodies" attended such events and advise families of burgeoning romances.^[tone?]^{[citation needed]}

Matchmakers sitting on either side of the bride and groom in this Japanese wedding photo

The influence of such people in a culture that did not arrange marriages, and in which economic relationships (e.g. "being able to support a family", "good prospects" ) played a larger role in determining if a (male) suitor was acceptable, is difficult to determine.

Clergyprobably played a key role in most Western cultures, as they continue to do in modern ones, especially where they are the most trusted mediators in the society. Matchmaking was certainly one of the peripheral functions of the village priest in MedievalCatholicsociety, as well as a duty ofrabbisin traditional Jewish communities. Today, theshidduchis a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another inOrthodox Jewishcommunities.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2010s and 2020s there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional matchmaking. Dissatisfaction withdating apps,television shows likeMillion Dollar MatchmakerandIndian Matchmaking,and a pandemic that made it harder for singles to meet organically created increased interest the role of the professional matchmaker. Those who find dating systems or services useful but prefer human intelligence and personal touches can choose from a wide range of such services now available. These services may rely onpersonality tests(butgeneticshas even been proposed),^[1]aiming to maximize the identification of the best match.

In Asia

InSingapore,theSocial Development Unit(SDU), run by thecity-state'sgovernment,offers a combination of professional counsel and dating system technology, like many commercial dating services. Thus the role of the matchmaker has become institutionalized, as abureaucrat,and every citizen in Singapore has access to some subset of the matchmaking services that were once reserved forroyaltyorupper classes.^{[citation needed]}

As of July 2023, there were 50 Iranian dating agencies according to Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance.^[2]

Other uses

The concept of matchmaking is also used in the business world and is known as B2B Matchmaking, Investor Matchmaking, Business Speed Dating, or Brokerage Events. In contradiction to social networking solutions, real meetings between business people are in focus. Trade fair organisations e.g. find this concept an added value for their exhibitors because it gives them the opportunity of advanced planned meetings. Following the inspiration of dating sites, some online B2B networking platforms developed advanced business matching solutions enabling relevant business partners' identification.

References

^Ok, We Have Our First DNA-Based Dating Service: GenePartner,by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch, on July 22, 2008.
^"معاون سازمان تبلیغات اسلامی: ۵۰ مجموعه همسانگزینی مجوز فعالیت گرفتند - ایرنا".

External links

The dictionary definition ofmatchmakingat Wiktionary
Media related toMatchmakingat Wikimedia Commons

[1] Ok, We Have Our First DNA-Based Dating Service: GenePartner,by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch, on July 22, 2008.

[2] "معاون سازمان تبلیغات اسلامی: ۵۰ مجموعه همسانگزینی مجوز فعالیت گرفتند - ایرنا".

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