Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Mass wedding takes place in a swamp - of marriage and ecology
Mass wedding takes place in a swamp in the Philippines
Read an AFP news item on Valentine's Day that there was an unusual Valentines Day' ceremony on a western Philippine island called Puerto Princesa, the capital of the Palawan Islands.
The mass wedding that took place enabled poor people to get married at no cost, and at the same time represented a token affirmation of their commitment to environmental and ecological conservation
About 100 barefoot couples stood in the swamp facing the sea and exchanged vows in a ceremony officiated by the city mayor.
The official ceremony was free of charge for the couples in exchange for planting mangrove saplings in the swamp and helping further to protect their island.
This unusual ceremony helped many young couples and at least one old couple (groom: 72 years, bride: 67 years!), to get married.
The importance of the mangrove swamp was that it served as a nursery and habitat for small fish and anchors the fragile soil on the shore to prevent erosion.
Read an AFP news item on Valentine's Day that there was an unusual Valentines Day' ceremony on a western Philippine island called Puerto Princesa, the capital of the Palawan Islands.
The mass wedding that took place enabled poor people to get married at no cost, and at the same time represented a token affirmation of their commitment to environmental and ecological conservation
About 100 barefoot couples stood in the swamp facing the sea and exchanged vows in a ceremony officiated by the city mayor.
The official ceremony was free of charge for the couples in exchange for planting mangrove saplings in the swamp and helping further to protect their island.
This unusual ceremony helped many young couples and at least one old couple (groom: 72 years, bride: 67 years!), to get married.
The importance of the mangrove swamp was that it served as a nursery and habitat for small fish and anchors the fragile soil on the shore to prevent erosion.
