Mass Interfaith Wedding Ceremony in Indonesia: More Than 4,500 Couples Tie the Knot in Record Ceremony (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 21, 2011
More than 4,500 couples of five different religions took part in a mass wedding reception in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta this week. The government was offering free marriage certificates, which are too expensive for most in the impoverished nation to afford.
More than 10,000 well-wishers attended the record mass wedding ceremony.
Curious: Did they throw rice for good luck after the ceremony?
Associated Press: Thousands at Mass Wedding Reception in Indonesia
From Channel News Asia, Saying ‘I do’ legally:
JAKARTA: Mass weddings are not unheard of, but one involving five different religions is probably quite rare.
In Indonesia, the event is held not for romance, but to help the less fortunate gain access to government social assistance.
4,541 couples from the five major religions took part in a mass wedding in Jakarta.
But breaking the record was never the goal.
This event was held for the poorest sections of the Indonesian population.
Having their marriage officially registered is seen as a solution to some of the country’s social problems.
Hana Ananda, founder of Pondok Kasih Foundation, said: “We found out that their marriage and family lives are totally chaotic.
“Sometimes they just exchange their spouses. Sometimes, there were conflicts involving violence too.”
Pondok Kasih – a Christian-based social organisation – held its first mass wedding in Surabaya, 10 years ago.
This is the first time the event is being held in the capital, and at such a scale.
For some of the couples, it marks the day they become husband and wife, both in accordance with their religion and the law of the state.
For others, it’s about securing their rights as Indonesian citizens.
Some couples who have been husbands and wives for some years now took their vows according to their respective religion. But they never got around registering their marriage with the state until now.
Many couples, like 40-year-old Mdm Darsinah and her husband who live in south Jakarta, cannot afford the US$60 fee to register their marriage.
News NTN24: Big wedding ceremony in Indonesia
From CBS News, Thousands join Indonesian mass wedding reception:
(AP) JAKARTA, Indonesia — Thousands of underprivileged Indonesian newlyweds from various faiths have joined a mass reception to receive free marriage certificates that they otherwise could not afford.
About 15,000 attended the reception Tuesday at the Senayan Sports Palace, including Jakarta city officials and friends and family members of the 4,541 couples.
The couples included 3,112 Muslims, 1,248 Christians, 96 Catholics and 85 Buddhists, Hindus and Chinese from across the Indonesian capital.
From Global Post, Love triumphs over bureaucracy at Indonesian mass wedding:
More than 4,500 couples tied the knot at a mass wedding in Indonesia on Tuesday, sidestepping costly administration fees.
The 4,501 couples were joined together in matrimony at a ceremony in Senayan Stadium, South Jakarta, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported.
The newlyweds came from poor families across the capital and had already exchanged vows in religious ceremonies but could not afford the administration fees required to obtain civil marriage certificates.
“We thank God for having answered our prayers. We finally got our marriage certificate,” 86-year-old groom Rahman said.
The youngest couple was a pair of 16-years-olds, the Globe reported.
Many poor Indonesians’ marriages are not legally recognized because they have not been able to afford the registration fee of around $100. Millions of Indonesians earn less than $2 a day.
From The Straits Times:
JAKARTA – INDONESIA broke the world record for mass weddings when 4,501 couples got married at the Sports Palace of Senayan in Jakarta, local media reported on Tuesday.
The appreciation was awarded by the British-based Royal World Record.
‘This is the biggest mass wedding in the world. We are very happy that a multi-religious country is in harmony at a celebration. Peace and love could be developed in a state’s life and this could be an example for other countries,’ said Guardian of Royal World Records, Ron Muller in his welcoming speech.
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