In our society a person who wishes to marry cannot completely disregard the customary patterns of courtship. if a man saw a woman on the streetand decided he wanted to marry her, he could conceivably choose a quicker and more direct from of action than the usual dating procedure. He could get on a horse, ride to a woman's home, snatch her up in his arms, and gallop away with her. In Sicily, until recently, such a couple would have been considered legally "married," even if the woman had never met the man before or had no intention of marrying. But in the United states any man who acted in such a fashion would be arrested and jailed for kidnapping and would probably have his sanity seriously challenged. Such behavior would not be acceptable in our society; therefore, it could not be considered cultural.