The Moonies
The Moonies
The last Moonie Mass Wedding Ceremony was held on 29th November 1997, at Robert Kennedy Stadium in Washington DC, USA.
Self proclaimed Messiah, Korean billionaire Sun Myung Moon, and his third wife, Hak Ja Moon, were present to marry 360,000 couples present for the ceremony, and 3.6 million others who were simultaneously married via video link.
Usually Moonie members do not meet their future spouse until just before the ceremony. In fact, some will not meet until months after the wedding.
Sometimes the husband and wife can be separated for up to four years, as Sun Myung Moon believes, in some cases, this makes the marriage pure.
It is not uncommon to see a mass of brides embracing framed photographs of their husbands to be, who, usually due to geographical reasons, could not be present at the ceremony. The brides' expressions are sombre, almost in a religious hypnosis, feeling deeply indebted to Moon and his wife for this chance to meet their chosen one.
Although all partners are personally chosen by Moon himself, and are, according the him, the perfect choice, it is not uncommon for the couple to speak different languages. This obviously puts a strain on the new marriage right from the start.
The ceremony is also open to members who wish to remarry, or renew their marriage vows. Widows and widowers are also encouraged to take part, as Sun Myung Moon will bless their loved ones in the spiritual world, keeping in mind the participants must pay a fee to take part in the ceremony.
As if this isn't bizarre enough, to seal the marriage vows, the couple hit each other over the buttocks three times with a wooden bat!
