POPULATION
MARRIAGES
221
All marriages, except non-Christian customary marriages, are governed by the Marriage Ordinance. Under this, notice of an intended marriage must be given to the Registrar at least 15 clear days before the date of the marriage. The Registrar has discretion to reduce the period of notice in special circumstances, and the Governor has power to grant a special licence dispensing with notice altogether, but this is done very rarely and then only in the most exceptional circumstances.
Marriages may take place either at places of public worship licensed for the celebration of marriages or at any of the 10 full- time marriage registries and four part-time sub-registries located in the main urban districts and rural centres. During the year 18,676 marriages were performed in the registries and 1,755 at licensed places of worship. The total was 20,431; 47 more than in 1969. All marriage records are maintained at the principal marriage registry at the City Hall.
The Marriage Ordinance does not apply to non-Christian cus- tomary marriages duly celebrated according to the personal law and religion of the parties, and such marriages do not have to be registered under that Ordinance. No statistics of such marriages are therefore available, but it is believed that the number has steadily decreased in recent years as a result of registered marriages becom- ing more and more popular. The position with respect to these unregistered marriages has long been recognised as being very un- satisfactory and on July 10, 1970 a Marriage Reform Ordinance was enacted. This Ordinance provides that on and after October 7, 1971, all marriages entered into in Hong Kong shall imply the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others and may be contracted only in accordance with the Mar- riage Ordinance. It provides for the recognition as valid of certain customary marriages contracted outside the Marriage Ordinance before the last mentioned date. Certain other marriages, known as modern marriages, being non-customary and also outside the Mar- riage Ordinance, are also validated by the Marriage Reform Ordin- ance provided they have been entered into before the said date. There is also provision for post-registration of these customary and modern marriages and for dissolution of such marriages by mutual consent.