25th Anniversary of Big 30,000 Couples’ Wedding

25 years since 30,000 couples received the Blessing on their marriage from Father Moon and Mother Han in Olympic Stadium, Seoul in February 2000 

Today, 13^th February, we congratulate on their 25^th anniversary the many couples that took part in a large international mass wedding held at the Chamshil Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Sunday, 13^th February 2000.

30,000 couples participated in a packed stadium on a fine and mild winter day. (Korean winters can be very harsh!) One-third of the couples had been matched, while the remaining couples had already been married before meeting the Family Federation and now had their existing marriage blessed by Father Moon and Mother Han in this grand ceremony.

The majority of the couples came from South Korea and Japan, but there were also many from Thailand, Taiwan, the USA, Russia, and Europe (over 500 couples from Europe). The event was broadcast via satellite to similar, though smaller, gatherings around the world. At these local events, couples participated who were unable (or could not afford) to travel to Seoul for the main event. In some countries, a video of a previous ceremony with Father Moon and Mother Han was used instead of a satellite connection.

Since 1997, other religious leaders have also been invited to give their blessing on all the couples. Thus, at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo from the Roman Catholic Church participated, along with Dean Igumen Antoniy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the Grand Mufti of Eritrea, Sheikh Al-Amin Osman; Bishop (Superintendent) T.L. Barrett from the Church of God in Christ (an American Pentecostal movement); Minister Leonard Farrakhan Mohammed from the Nation of Islam; Rabbi Erno Lazarovits from the Central Board of the Federation of Jewish Communities; Swamji Devendaherty, the spiritual leader of the Jain religion; Ven. Im-guk Hong, President of the Korean Buddhist Taegu Order; and Reuben Silverbird, Ambassador for the European Indian Village.

Rather than having a small private wedding for close family and friends, many choose to participate in such a large public ceremony to demonstrate to the world their conviction that their marriage is not just for their own personal satisfaction but that it has a greater and higher significance. Through harmonious and healthy marriages, we can create harmonious families and good societies. World peace ultimately is built on peace in each individual family. All these couples participating in these big wedding ceremonies know that marriage is the key to world peace.

Father Moon and Mother Han have officiated increasingly larger ceremonies since 1960 when they blessed three couples in a small church in Seoul.

Already an hour before the event began in Seoul, the stadium was full (120,000 people). The program also included performances by several Korean pop stars and famous singers.

The ceremony was the main event of a week-long World Culture and Sports Festival, which included an art exhibition, sports competitions, ballet, folk dancing, various conferences for academics, women leaders, media professionals, and religious leaders, as well as an exhibition about Father Moon and Mother Han‘s life and their movement. Many of the participants in these conferences also took part in the celebration of Sun Myung Moon’s 80th birthday.

Major news outlets, including AFP (Agence France-Presse), covered the event extensively.

Text: Knut Holdhus

Featured image above: Graphic of the large Marriage Blessing on 13th Feb. 2000 in Chamshil Olympic Stadium in Seoul with picture of Father Moon and Mother Han superimposed. Photo: FFWPU

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