- Collective wedding
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A collective wedding or mass wedding is a marriage ceremony in which several couples are married at the same time.
collective wedding in Afghanistan
In 324 BC Alexander the Great married Barsine, the eldest daughter of Darius, the king of Persia. In the same ceremony he wed many of his leading officers and outstanding soldiers to other Persian women, about 80 couples in all.[1]
These ceremonies are now performed in countries such as Japan, China, Iran, Yemen , Palestine, South Korea and Afghanistan. In 2011 a collective wedding ceremony in India involved 3,600 couples, including Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and tribal people. Many of them were the children of poor farmers.[2]
Mass weddings are sometimes preferred for economic reasons, as the costs for the venue, officiants, decorations, and sometimes celebrations afterwards can be shared between multiple families.[3]
The Unification Church is known for holding collective weddings, which for some couples are marriage rededication ceremonies.[4][5]
References
- ^ Arrian of Nicomedia describes this event in section 7.4.4-5.6 of his Anabasis.[1]
- ^ Thousands marry in big Indian wedding, AFP, February 2, 2011
- ^ McBee, Randy D. (2000). Dance hall days: intimacy and leisure among working-class immigrants in the United States. New York: New York University Press. pp. 222–228. ISBN 0-8147-5620-4.
- ^ Despite controversy, Moon and his church moving into mainstream Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2006.
- ^ At RFK, Moon Presides Over Mass Wedding, Washington Post, November 3, 1997
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