XN000022-1975-01-12 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 1975

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MARRIAGE STATISTICS FOR 1974

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THE NUMBER OF MARRIAGES REGISTERED IN 1974 REACHED A NEW 7,198 MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD RECORD TOTAL OF 37,634,

OF 30,436 IN 1973, THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, MR. WALTER HUME, ANNOUNCED TODAY.

+THE TOTAL INCLUDED 3,862 MARRIAGES BETWEEN PARTIES ALREADY PREVIOUSLY MARRIED IN OTHER WAYS AS COMPARED WITH 2,838 MARRIAGES OF THIS CATEGORY IN 1973. EXCLUDING THESE 'REMARRIAGES' TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED MARRIAGES INCREASED BY 6,174 FROM 27,598 TO 33,772,+ MR. HUME ADDED.

THE

THE NEW RECORD MAY HAVE BEEN PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CURRENT LUNAR YEAR, WHICH BEGAN ON JANUARY 23, 1974, IS A PARTICULARLY AUSPICIOUS YEAR FOR MARRIAGES AMONGST THE CHINESE BECAUSE IT HAS TWO FIRST DAYS OF SPRING (LAP CHUN) WHEREAS THE PRECEDING LUNAR YEAR HAD ONLY ONE FIRST DAY OF SPRING.

HOWEVER, THE MAJOR FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCREASE IS BELIEVED TO BE THE STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION, WHICH HAS A GROWING NUMBER OF PERSONS WITHIN THE MORE POPULAR AGE GROUPS FOR MARRIAGE, I.E. 21 TO 24 FOR WOMEN AND 25 TO 29 FOR MEN.

THERE WAS A SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CHURCH MARRIAGES IN 1974, THE TOTAL BEING 2,641 AS COMPARED WITH 2,776 IN 1973. MOST OF THE REGISTERED MARRIAGES WERE, AS USUAL, CELEBRATED AT THE MARRIAGE REGISTRIES, THE TOTAL OF SUCH MARRIAGES REACHING A NEW RECORD OF 34,993, AN INCREASE OF 7,333 OVER THE 1973 FIGURE.

IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, REGISTERED MARRIAGES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH A TOTAL OF 6,042 MARRIAGES CELEBRATED, UP BY 2,327 OR 63 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH 3,715 IN 1973. THERE ARE NÓW FOUR FULL-TIME REGISTRIES AND THIRTEEN PART-TIME REGISTRIES OPERATING IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE TWO PRINCIPAL MARRIAGE REGISTRIES AT THE CITY HALL AND THE KOWLOON GOVERNMENT OFFICES REMAIN THE MOST POPULAR REGISTRIES, WITH 37.1 PER CENT OF ALL REGISTRY MARRIAGES CELEBRATED THERE. ANOTHER POPULAR REGISTRY WAS THE SAN PO KONG REGISTRY, WHERE 3,286 MARRIAGES TOOK PLACE DURING THE YEAR.

THE CITY HALL MARRIAGE REGISTRY CONTINUED TO OPERATE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS DURING THE YEAR AND A TOTAL OF 518 SUNDAY MORNING MARRIAGES WERE PERFORMED. IN MANY CASES, SUNDAY WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT HAPPENED TO BE A LUCKY DAY ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE CALENDAR IN OTHERS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF CONVENIENCE FOR WORK OR OTHER REASONS.

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