In Addis Ababa, there are three forms of marriage practiced by Orthodox Christians:rncivil, customary, and church marriages. An attempt is here made to describe these marriagernfroms as well as marital conflicts and their resolution. The rules governing each marriagernform as well as the process of establishing it are examined. Similarly, marital conflicts andrnthe procedures employed in their resolution are described. Literature review, observation, case ,rnstudies, and interviewing have been used with the view of gathering information on marriagernand marital conflict resolution.rnIt is shown that the three forms of marriage have their own respective regulations.rnDevout Orthodox Christians usually perform church marriages, while non-devout ones enterrninto one of the other two forms of marriage. Though they seek the advice of friends andrnrelatives, people in Addis Ababa are generally free to select their spouses.rnBridal gifts (t'ilosh) are often given by the groom to the bride. This, along withrnwedding costs and the shortage of housing result in late age at marriage in Addis Ababa,rnthereby negatively affecting the family life cycle. Those who get married at later ages mayrnpass away before their children become self-sufficient adults.rnMarriages often result in conflicts which can eventually lead to divorce. Such conflictsrnare resolved according to the provisions of the Civil Code which usually involves tediousrnprocedures and arbitration money. This appears to have undermined the traditional arbitrationrnmechanism, resulting in marital arbitration becoming an income-generating profession. Maritalrnconflict causes different troubles to the partners and their children. The conflict or divorce ofrntheir parents can cause considerable suffering to children.